About A Month
by WeSpeakTheSameTongue
Summary: Everything became much worse before it got better. (FrostIron)
1. Adultery

It had only been a year; just twelve months. But as his mind unwound it seemed like _forever. _Well of course it would. He had to think of it logically after all. Of course it would seem like forever; Pepper had been there since the beginning. Girlfriend Pepper may have only been a year long reality but she was an innovation on an old idea. Like an electric toothbrush. Just, for some reason Girlfriend Pepper's stretch seemed to pass along the corridors of time beyond a reasonable length. Time being relative; he knew what that meant and didn't want to think of it. If there was one thing Tony Stark was genuinely any good at was pretending there was nothing wrong.

But it was impossible not to think of it. She was everywhere. Fucking everywhere. At work, at home, at S.H.I.E.L.D. She wasn't breathing down his neck or anything, but no amount of sensible thinking could do anything to dissuade him from (incorrectly) perceiving her somewhat overwhelming presence.

He knew that it was him. His problems. His fault. She was downright perfection and he was Tony Stark. She'd always deserve better; more. He couldn't stand her seamless smile constantly reminding him that she didn't need a Tony shaped hole in her life. She'd already dealt with him as a platonic co-worker; how could she deal with him as a girlfriend. The expectations were weightier, consequences far more dire. And he had a responsibility to her now. How did she not know that he was not one of those guys; Responsibility was not his middle name. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Or she knew what he was; she always had, she knew that he would never change and made the first bad decision of her entire life.

It hadn't always been like this obviously. The first weeks are always easy. Those are the weeks you think you _could _change. Being a better man suddenly becomes a surmountable mountain; the climbs are suddenly not so steep, the drops become far from fatal and those jagged rocks below look survivable. The blindness of iridescent optimism. He'd had that other week too; after they'd defeated Loki. A hero again. He suddenly didn't look so bad beneath the luminous radiation of redemption. He became a better boyfriend, remembered the date nights, called to say he'd be late, just told her he was thinking of her every now and again. In facing death, she had become more than precious to him. And in that light; far more than he deserved. It was a quick drop, and only two months ago.

Since then the suit had needed his attention far more than usual; S.H.I.E.L.D had been riding his ass day and night, the practices had started running ridiculously late, and all these damn fundraisers just kept cropping up out of the woodwork last minute. He was really sorry, and he'd make it up. But he was quickly running out of rain checks. He made sure to come home late enough that he missed her. If he didn't; if by some cruel of fate she was up (not waiting for him, _never _waiting for him), five seconds of disappointment in her eyes would haunt him that whole week. She'd pretend that it was no problem of course, but Tony could see through the cracks in her faltering smile. Pepper Potts was far too honest to be any good at pretending.

Two months.

Tony was wearing a nice suit. Not his best suit, but a good one anyway. Versace or something. Sitting at the bar of some shindig or other, surrounded by dull old businessmen and vapid young heiresses. That was as far as variety provided for. His invitation had been all very last minute: _I can't stand watching all these bastards blow smoke up their own asses Pep, you know that. But this guy _insisted. _I'll make it up, I promise._ Whether or not she had beleived him was uncertain; but given that his personal invitations no longer went through her anymore, at least his story was plausible.

In his hand he held a glass of carbonated pink wine water. Something no doubt fashionable and very _in _at the moment, but he would've chewed off his own leg for a bottle cap of whiskey. Drinking this rose colored swill; it would take him downing at least a couple of gallons to get drunk. And he needed to get drunk. He wondered about first aid; maybe there was rubbing alcohol he could swipe, if it could make all of this go a little bit faster. He sighed and tipped back the thin, delicate glass. Bubbles fizzed away on his tongue.

'Barkeep!' He motioned. A well dressed young man in a vest and matching tie came as beckoned. 'Your strongest vodka, _please._

_'_'I've already said Mr. Stark,' He took the glass from Tony. 'There's no vod-'

'I know. Just humor me please. Do you have anything besides fizzy drain cleaner?'

'Honestly, if you're looking to get buzzed you might as well try anti-freeze. Kill two birds with one stone.'

Tony smiled. He liked this kid. 'Any in stock?'

'Like the Rockwells would let anyone get out that easy.'

'Makes me regret leaving my suicide pill in my other pants.'

They both laughed. The boy nodded to someone behind Tony, and Tony swivelled his chair to look. 'I bet she's not gonna make you feel any better about that.'

A blonde with hair in far too much of a bouffant for anything this far from Texas was walking with unnerving determination to where Tony sat. He moved to ask for more of that watered down wine cooler, but the bartender had since evacuated. He only wished he could do the same. The blonde made it to his side and plopped herself down on the empty chair beside his.

'Hi.' She smiled. Her perfectly white teeth gleamed overbearingly, expectantly, awaiting some sort of conformation. Validation. Girls with daddy issues.

'Hi.' He smiled back. Hate and its pit of abominable monsters bit at the surface of his mind, and he had to struggle to keep that voice shushed.

'Uh.' Small falter. She wasn't expecting to work for this. 'My name's Mickeala Smith-Lucas. My mom and dad owned Justice Proprietors.' Hint of a Texan brawl in there. She was educated away from her state; some place fancy, given her propensity for rounding O's and pronouncing T's as she did.

'I'm Tony Stark. I own-'

'_Silly,' _She ran a delicate finger across his arm. He had to work not to flinch. 'I know who you are. You're a hero.'

His smile came reflexively, before he knew what he was doing. She flushed. Tony Stark; Lady Killer.

'My uncle made me come. I barely know anyone. Uh, we just flew in from Texas.' Cute. She knew what she was doing, playing helpless, needing a hero to help a little damsel in distress. 'Maybe you can show me around some time, Mr. Stark. You must know New York really well.'

The bartender appeared and, with a knowing smile, placed a couple of glasses of carbonated water and cough syrup in front of the two of them.

'Thank you.' Her smile was made of treacle and broken childhood promises. The bartender's was made of condescension. 'Oh. I love this, isn't it fabulous?' She eagerly took a long sip. Tony watched her. She had lips different than Pepper, pink and full, glossy with some sort of flavoured product. And her eyes were blue and strangely alive. She was cute. Her make up made it clear that she didn't believe that fact herself. Believing, it seemed, that she needed longer eyelashes, more prominent cheekbones and darker skin. It was too dark around her eyes.

'It's not really my thing.' Tony smiled. 'Have you tried getting anywhere with this? I'm still at zero and I've had about ten.'

She laughed sincerely. '_No._ You're not supposed to get anywhere with it. It's like a cooler. Like warm up.'

'A warm up?' Tony grinned. 'So when does the actual liquor come out. Or is all this waiting in vain?'

'It never comes out, Mr. Stark. The Rockwells are abstinent.'

'Lucky me. But please, call me Tony.'

'Okay... Tony,' Her face was veering on crimson.

Two hours later, he knew too much about her. Mickeala Smith-Lucas was the eldest of three, a former beauty pageant competitor who had given up competing at eleven; never to be forgiven by her mother. Her father had expected big things and been bitterly dissapointed when she'd flunked college. An ammendment to the will shortly thereafter had left the company to her uncle who would bequeath the multi million multi national consulting firm to her little sister when she turned thirty. Her parents had died and Mickeala had received the least from the will.

And she was twenty four years old. She was far too young for him.

But he didn't think of that when he invited her for a drink at some bar he knew, to wash down the taste of lemonade flavoured laundry detergent on his tongue. Good clean fun.

He couldn't tell if she was drunker than she was or just pretending. But he needed to leave her someplace; there was no taking her to Stark Tower and he couldn't just abandon her. He booked her into a hotel.

And he showed her to her room.

Standing beneath the arch of her doorway, in the dim light, he thought of leaving. Mickeala was slipping off the straps of her dress. And her smile was real (if slurred) and inviting. He imagined Peppers crystalline blue eyes; feigning indifference. Pepper's broken smile. He decided to stay.


	2. Memoir

It was another bar in New York, between Fifth and Mill's someplace. Tony swivelled in his barstool, half drunk; which was not nearly enough. It was one of those over-priced joints in the center of town designed almost solely for tourists with itchy pockets. It wasn't one of Tony's preffered haunts, but it would do. The girls were fast and easy and it made for a quick pick up. Problem was; Tony had grown significantly apathetic in the past six months. A quick fuck didn't seem to cut it anymore. The half assed five minute rendezvous were no longer enough to fill Tony's debt of self-destruction.

So he sat in the dim light, vaguely aware of his surroundings and barely alive; tasting the after burn of hot liquor along the sides of his throat. He was beginning to wonder why he'd come in the first place. In his ensemble for the night (dinner jacket, t-shirt and jeans) he was hardly a homing beacon for anyone willing to sell their dignity for time with Tony Stark. In this place he blended and faded into the walls. And, inasmuch as it was precisely what he wanted, it also bothered him so. Something irked him about not being the center of attention, when really it shouldn't have. He sighed and shut his eyes. He was going to give this place ten minutes. Just ten fucking minutes and then enough was enough.

After a shot of bourbon, he readied himself to leave, only to change his mind as a silken vision caught his eye. She was tall; far taller than he was: maybe six foot one or two. Her skin was porcelain and her eyes a bright green that seemed to peirce through his skin as their eyes met. Her breasts were ample but her cleavage was somewhat conservative. Her long emerald silk dress ended at an outrageous slit and beneath that her white legs went for miles.

Tony's heart picked up as she chose the seat beside his. How could she possibly inspire the madness in his mind that only Pepper had seemed capable of, with barely a glance?

Upon closer inspection, everything about her struck him as oddly familiar. From the side he could see her thin, pouting lips and wide green eyes. Eyes that he could swear he'd watched his little reflection dance in before. Eyes that brought a strange mixture of excitement and pure testosterone raging across his blood-stream as a matter of subconscious re-enactment brought on by nostalgia. Nostalgia he couldn't explain because he had never _seen _her before.

He impulsively imagined running his fingers through the long swept back, jet black hair reaching down to her shoulder blades. He could imagine kissing those lips. Her body, warm and delicate beneath his. His arms—

'Stark?' Her voice loosened him from his thoughts instantaneously. The look on her face is a mixture between pure shock and something else (Hate? Fear? Confusion_? _)

Shit. Had he been staring?

She worked quickly to recover from her outburst, but her smile remained uncertain.

'Hi.' He kept his voice a low visceral purr. Tony Stark was an old hand at the art of seduction, at this point it was a reflex.

She stared at him for a second, then laughed. 'You do not recognise me?' She raised an arched eye-brow.

'Oh,' Tony smiled. 'I think I'd remember _you.' _He took a final sip of the bourbon at the bottom of his glass. 'Tell me where we last met and I'll let you know if you're making it up.'

'Your tower. The one with your name written in lights. You spoke with me there. Proffered a drink?'

'Nope.' Had he really met her before? Was she making this up? She didn't seem like the type to make up desperate stories in hopes of finding herself between his legs. Girls like that were never this self assured. 'You're making it up.'

'Very well. I suppose I look a little different after all. I understand if you barely recognise me. Though I was led to believe you had a sharper mind than most on this rock.'

'It turns to mush around beautiful women.'

'Oh, yes and they were right about your reputation too. Never one to hesitate in the area of romance. Though I was under the impression you were courting Lady Pepper.'

Lady Pepper? That was straight out of left field.

'We're on a break.' That wasn't true. While they hadn't properly spoken for the longest time and avoided eye contact when they found themselves in the rare state of conversation, no one had mentioned anything about a break. It was his go to excuse, if he believed it enough it made fucking all of New York significantly easier.

He flagged down a bartender who came immediately to their service. 'Scotch?' he offered his new companion for the evening

'Your ale does not agree with me.'

'Just bring a single scotch and a juice for the lady,' and as soon as the bartender was gone, he gave her his full attention.'Ale? You must be from way out of town.'

'It's not too far.' She smiled knowingly, like she had a secret Tony was not allowed in on. 'You have a friend who hails from that land in your constant company.'

'The Black Widow? You're Russian.'

'A little further but... the conditions are similar.'

'Selvig them? You're Norwegian.'

She laughed. 'You truly do not recognise me?'

''Maybe if I had a name.'

'No,' She smiled and shook her head. 'I would be revealing far too much. I much prefer you to guess.'

Tiny grinned. He liked her.

'Okay, how many clues do I get.'

'That was all of them, Stark.'

'A challenge, I like it. I like you.'

Her eyes flickered uncertainly.

'You will soon find that statement is very flawed, Stark.' Her eyes gleamed unyielding sadness for the shortest time. Time enough for Tony to see what most would miss.

'Let's get out of here,' He looked her in the eye, and she seemed powerless to refuse.

* * *

It was a pretty shitty old Corvette he'd found one day on the trading floor of an auto show. He'd bought it on a whim. He never really did get around to souping it up and painting it candy apple red like all those 80s hair bands insisted he do. But for some reason, out of his entire collection of cars at Stark Tower, he liked it best. And he couldn't complain right now, having the hottest no-name-having 6"2 vixen in all of New York sat right beside him on the oldish leather passenger seat. Only problem was her inherent discomfort. She wouldn't say anything. She wouldn't look at him. Her galaxy halting eyes were trained forward. Her hair blew in the wind.

He drove them to an abandoned pier which; if you ignored all the hobos and the scent of rotten wood, probably provided the best view of this side of the city. Distant lights flickered relentlessly, mirroring the entire island's nocturnal reputation. He felt strangely at ease.

'Hey,' he spoke to his tacit date. 'I miss your sparkling wit.'

She laughed a dry, empty laugh. 'You may miss something about me, but that is not likely to be it.'

'Sorry? You're talking in circles again. Making me wish I hadn't taken those two shots of bourbon.'

'Surely no one would miss me, I don't think. My... My brother might. My mother... she might.'

'I would,' Tony smiled; knowing far too well what she was suggesting.

'You, Stark? Only if the snows of the Joutenheim turned to burning flame.'

And Tony remembered where he'd seen those eyes.


	3. Flag Day

He was no help to anyone the next day. He caught everyone's glances and returned them with a little smile. They weren't worried for him so much as they were wary of what exactly it was that kept him up all these nights. He figured they all had some idea localized to their own private opinions of him. They hadn't been on patrol of late, so obviously it wasn't business that dragged him to the streets at all hours of the night. And he was hesitant to engage in anything longer than a two word conversation with anyone. For Tony Stark it was a rarity, fearing social interaction as he did, regarding every forward-stretching invitation into conversation with blunt suspicion. He had a secret now, and it terrified him. It radiated across his forehead: 'Riding in cars with Loki. And liking it_.' _It was only one night, so why did he feel so goddamn guilty?

He was in the workshop now, eyes scanning the room on the wild chance he might get unexpected company. It was only now that he realised this place had far too many entrances. And he was just jittery enough to believe that small fact genuinely impaired his solitude. Not that he thought himself unreasonable, imposing upon himself, temporarily, the life of a hermit. He took a few not too logical steps in defense of this choice. First, if he spoke to someone, anyone astute enough to see through his little filters and determine that he clearly had a secret, they might suss it out. And if they didn't, then they would find someone who could and this being S.H.I.E.L.D; intense interrogation skills weren't exactly in low supply. And second, no more secret rendezvous with the God(ess?) of Mischief. He hadn't had anyone or anything pique his interest like that in far too long, not since the last time he'd met Loki. He reserved his right to be selfish. Whatever trap or game or plot this was Tony found himself not caring. He wanted to see her/him again.

_Oh Tony, your narcissism is showing._

He sighed. What he should have been thinking of was Pepper; he should have been thinking of what all this cheating is doing to her. A good person would have thought of nothing prior; she would have been occupying all of him. But the debate over whether or not Tony was a good person only held up so well because both sides had very valid points. He had said to her on more than one occasion that he loved her more than she could imagine and it was honestly no exaggeration. Between Pepper and the fate of the world, she would always win. And it hadn't seemed so contrary at first; before he cheated it was the most reasonable thing in the world. Of course it was her, it was all her; the closest thing to a star this side of Proxima Centauri. Except brighter. But now, in the glaring, unforgiving light of the present it sounded worse than cynical. Who could he convince that he still meant it and more than likely always would?

But the fact remained; he hadn't thought of her. Not that he was any longer under any illusions over whether or not she knew of his string one nighters; she wasn't stupid. One day he'd let her know what it felt like to sleep with your own kind. He'd explain that she was far too well-adjusted to understand what it was like to commiserate during sex. Being intimate with someone you think beyond you is exhausting.

He glanced at his clock. 10:30. Probably the longest five and a half minutes he'd spent doing nothing. He decided to get his mind on work, internal upgrades of the Mark VII particularly the life support system; the oxygen routers seemed glitchy. He unrolled the suit's blueprints across the work-table. Mathematics, engineering and tech work, _that _he could handle.

After the longest day ever 9:00 finally grinned at him from the watch face. He'd done enough work for a day; above and beyond the call of duty. He wanted-ney!-_deserved _a night out. And today he'd get the car valeted and actually get shitfaced. Loki or no Loki (not that he was by any pretense blasé about the idea of no Loki) Whiskey, Cognac and Scotch were good old friends of his, and he knew and loved their company. Every minute after nine he grew more and more eager. Galvanised during the day by her absence; Loki was suddenly resplendent in his memory, in the dim light of an overpriced bar amoung dull company. And he picked out his clothes with an irrepressible grin; tried them all on with the pomp and circumstance of a senior prom date. Repressed every inch of guilt that dared climb through the floorboards.

At 9:13 Tony looked up at the sound of his name. His eyes met Pepper's and the absence of unease in her gaze brought a smile to his face without the usual accompanying emotions. She smiled too.

'Night out?' She asked.

'Maybe.' He stood straight. Her eyes were alive with something, he wanted to know what, but dared not ask.

'When will you be back?' And she flashed that sexy grin patented only to Ms. Potts.

'Midnight,' he promised without thinking.

'On the dot.' She prompted. And as mysteriously as she came, Pepper disappeared from Tony's doorway in a flash of fiery red hair.

_Unexpected_ was one was you could put it. Random was close to being another, but Pepper didn't have an impulsive decision making bone in her body. Every step she took was a rigorous decision making process in and of itself.

Pepper never flashed sexy pouty face without a reason. It was the promise of something just about beyond the horizon. So was it her birthday? No, it wasn't September yet. Or was it in April? Well wasn't _now. _Was it his own birthday? Unlikely. Fucking flag day then? The anniversary of the invention of Tesla coil? New season of Mythbusters? No dice. Tony would have to figure it out later. For now, he occupied his mind with attempting to look his best, and for the next quarter of an hour, he did exactly that.

This time, he slid into the front seat of an aerodynamically sound, stunning red Ferrari. And he refused to even acknowledge this apparent desire to impress. He drove from his garage with the most ridiculous grin on his face. And the city seemed to be smiling with him.

_Say what you will about America; our murderous greed and vile natures, the way we breed our people through hatred and fear and intolerance and make a mockery of culture as it stands. Our love of destruction. Our destruction of love. But I dare you to deny New York's fucking beautiful skyline. Neon stars burning nuclear fusion on the surface of the earth. - Carrole_

Tony sat at the bar stool, rapidly losing faith, hope and patience. It was a linear equation of diminishing values; an inverted graph. The longer he sat there alone, the less and less he wanted to. It'd been a long time since Tony had been stood up, and he was finding the experience was not fun at all. He glanced at the face of his watch; his only companion for the night. 11:46. Well dammit if he hadn't wasted the entire evening just waiting.

He stood up to leave but, in accordance with the rules of romantic comedy he was suddenly certain he must be living, Loki stole the show. She was clad in green again, because apparently Asgardians are color coded, but this time in a dress that looked more or less medieval. The moss green dress came strapless and just as modest as last night's incarnation, with gold decorative and complex embroidery along its edges. And in spite of her height, the dress trailed the floor by at least half an inch. Everyone was presumably looking at her because this was a bar, and she was just more than a touch overdressed. But it might have been her striking features, within which Tony was already lost, that so enraptured the other patrons.

Tony sat back down and she didn't hesitate to take her place right beside him. He ordered her a whiskey.

'Why so late? Second date jitters?' Tony smiled over his half-finished whiskey.

'What?' She caught his gaze. Her eyes were green, with just discernible traces of gold. How appropriate.

'It's almost midnight.'

'I was not aware I had been placed on a schedule?'

'It's not nice to keep a guy waiting. '

'Stark,' She shook her head. 'We made no such arrangements. I was scarcely aware that you would even return here.'

'Well, I _was_ in the middle of asking you out when you just disappeared. I never got to finish. Hurt my feelings.'

'My apologies, Stark. Am I to understand then, that you mean to court me?'

'Uh. Yeah. I mean that.'

'You speak aware of the perils of your venture? The members of your team will not be pleased if they find such a thing to be true. And my brother comes to Midgard, it is not wise to keep contracts of courtship while he seeks me, and I hide from him.'

'Thor's coming?' Tony couldn't help but smile. He missed the big lug, if only for the sake of provoking another match between him and The Hulk.

'I ran from Asgard, son of Howard, of course he is coming.' Loki took a timid sip of her whiskey and pulled a face. She pushed the glass away from her. 'I am surprised he takes this long. When I arrived I had already expected to find him.'

'Uhuh... so did ya think about me?' Tony's saccharine toothy smile melted the God(ess) of Lies, Mischief and Fire to a giggle fit appropriate for a little girl.

'My brother spoke truth about you. He said only three things seem present in your mind when you stand away from the line of duty; and those things are ale, maidens and making merry. He claimed to have enjoyed your company most. Perhaps you should rather court him, as you seem so compatible.'

'He's not my type.'

'Have you only sought to court patricidal mass murderers then? I assure you, laying claim to the crown Prince of Asgard will prove much greater a reward than I.'

'But you're so pretty.'

'You are aware that I am not a woman.'

'Makes you even cuter, now that I think about it.'

'I do not mean to parade around in this disguise forever.'

'Hmmm, I barely remember what you look like under that anyway. Maybe I need my memory refreshed.'

Loki laughed. 'You are charming. I suppose it's what separates you from the common drudgery that is Midgardian men. They think themselves proud and civilized yet treat their women like common cattle.'The women Tony had slept with during the last seventeen or so months flashed across his mind. And Pep- No. Not right now. Not for a while yet. '_You _could charm the fur from a Bilgesnipe,' Loki continued. 'The scales from Djognnr himself. Perhaps had you stood beside me in battle the serpent might not have struck me as it had.'

'That's why you think you're dying? A snake bite?'

'Is that not a reasonable assumption? Each day I grow weaker; my magic diminishes. Is it not a logical manner of thinking?'

'That doesn't have to mean you're about to kick the bucket. Besides, don't you guys have anti-venom or something?'

'There is no cure for the bite of The Snake Of The Undying.'

'Hey, no offense but you're the God of lies. I think with you, whether or not I chose to believe you're telling the truth is my perogative. I say you're gonna live.'

'Fair. Would you have perhaps been as kind to me were I a woman, when last we met?'

'I might have flirted a little.'

'You were arrogant.'

'You threw me out the window.'

'For being so arrogant.'

'You were about to _date rape my soul _with your stick.'

'Pardon?'

'You know, strip me of free will and do whatever the hell you wanted with me. Like you did with Barton.'

'The influence of the Tessaract bends you to its will, not mine.'

'Saying you weren't in control?'

'I knew what I was doing Stark. I wasn't going to stop.'

'So, no remorse?'

'Only for failing.'

'And not for the deaths of all those people.'

'Casualties in a war, Stark. Do you mourn those your weaponry has aided in killing. Do you visit their graves and comfort their families? Do you even know who they _were._'

'No. But I still feel responsible. I still wish I could go back and change it.'

'And what purpose does that serve, except to remind you of your guilt?'

'Makes me feel human, reminds me of why I built the Mark 1. Why I survived Afghanistan and... a friend of mine didn't. I made him a promise.'

'Laudable. I really should have come to Midgard as a woman before. You would have told me so much without prompting. I hesitate to think you already trust me; it is a frightening proposition.'

'Maybe I'm only opening up 'cause I wanna have sex with you.'

Loki turned a bright shade of crimson, her mouth quivered slightly. She shook her head. 'Midgardian custom is... forward.'

'We've been known to get to the point.' He smiled and took a sip of his long forgotten whiskey, lukewarm now and diluted by the melted ice. Yucky.

Loki laughed with shaking uncertainty. 'I wouldn't know how to approach such things. I have never been in courtship before.'

The wheels in Tony's head turned somewhat slowly. 'Oh. You're a virgin?' It was Tony's turn to blush.

'Yes. Is it so shocking for you to hear? Though I suppose on Midgard it is somewhat to be expected. Your maidens carry themselves with the all dignity and grace of common whores.'

Tony didn't seem to hear her. 'You're a virgin.'

Loki smiled shyly, suddenly hugely self-conscious. 'I have never been courted before.' She fiddled nervously with her glass of whiskey.

* * *

**That was a lot of fucking dialogue. And Omg you guys, I love the reviews (comprises 90% of my social intteractions during any given week). And also, there's a plot here. Just gimme a minute. So I hope you guys liked it. Loki might be a psychotic mass-murderer but he's also one fuck of a cutie. **


	4. Regret

'Who would have me?' She smiled sadly, her face marred with trembling emotion. She was trying very hard to keep it together. After a moment she shook her head and interrupted as Tony moved to talk. 'I do not wish to speak of it further.'

Tony shrugged. He suddenly felt unseasonably sober. He wondered if she wanted to get drunk too; alcohol was a marvelous cure-all. He decided he wasn't driving home tonight and ordered two vodka tonics on the rocks. She raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled malevolently. The drinks were delivered.

'Stark, I do not drink Midgardian ale. I hardly touch even Asgardian ale.'

'Hey, you said you're gonna kick the bucket right? Meet your maker? Cash in your chips? Croak?' Loki seemed to consider what Tony meant before coming to quick comprehension, and Tony continued. 'Then you might as well consume your weight alcohol. Or get high or... fuck someone's brains out.'

Loki quickly reddened and Tony hastened to explain. 'I don't mean _me... _I just mean...' he waved vaguely behind him and let the sentence hang in the air. He took a long swig of his vodka and gasped at the delightful burn, Loki drank alongside him, but with seemingly far reduced consequences. 'You really are a virgin.'

'You seem very fixated on that one fact.'

'Been a while since I met one. You're part of an endangered species.'

'Does it bother you?' Loki's voice lowered just perceptibly in volume, prompting Tony to find her eyes.

'Just... I dunno. It's different. You know, it would bother some people knowing that I've had sex with this whole city.'

'I thought all men were like that. Tales of my brother and his friends' conquests certainly paint such a picture. Certainly Midgardian men make no effort to restrain their eagerness around a maiden, however unwilling.'

'I apologise on behalf of the male race. You should blame evolution.'

'Hmm.' Loki took another long sip of the vodka, warming to the taste. 'It does make your kind very malleable. Some women too. Feminity is clearly a much more valuable tool on Migard. Though, the unwillingness to look at my face as I speak is bothersome. I miss my armor, but to walk as a man is far too dangerous. Your friends would recognize me.'

'You should've tried Tokyo or something.'

'My magic is limited, I landed at the gate and have no means of leaving. It is enough effort keeping this disguise from faltering.' Loki lifted her glass for another sip, only to find her alcohol was gone. She ordered another.

'I'm impressed.' Tony sipped his own half full glass.

'I mean to drink myself to an even earlier grave than that which awaits me.'

'That's the spirit!' Tony laughed, taking a final sip of his drink.

Loki had to drink about five times as many glasses as Tony to achieve the same effect.

An hour later the god(ess) and The Avenger were both drunk and being stupid at the center of the dance floor. The music was low, fluid and filled with the romantic depth of a silent film about unrequited love. Stark and Loki were ungainly in each other's arms and laughing like children. Of all the dancers, they were clearly the happiest. Observers dared speculate they were the most deeply in love. He couldn't keep his hand off her and she couldn't stop pulling him closer. Drunk out of their minds and stuck in a world of their own construct they existed alongside nothing else; no one else. Just their eyes; in their eyes entire worlds hung for them and them alone. They swayed and stumbled and tripped together in the rubble of fallen walls blitzed by excessive alcohol. Nothing to hide or circumvent in the stark light of drunken happiness.

'I wi-sh to go home.' Loki slurred in Tony's ear and, with commendable lucidity, managed to drag him to the deserted hallway before disappearing with him.

Through the haze of intoxication Tony could just about make out that they were no longer at the bar and Loki no longer had boobs. He pressed the side of his head against warm silk, feeling a quick heartbeat beneath his jaw.

'Stark, I'm tire-'

Tony dragged Loki's face to his lips and, upon finding his target, smashed their lips together unrepentantly. He slid his tongue forward and let it roam across the ins of Loki's mouth, along his tongue and beneath the roof of his mouth. And Loki, for his part, came into the kiss drunk and uncertain. He followed Tony's lead, and slowly fell yeilding in Tony's arms, feeling deliriously, deliciously tired. Tony could carry the god's weight easily, but his concentration was shot and they soon sank to the ground entangled in each other. They tasted of the same thing and bit, skimmed and stroked along one another's lips and within each other's mouths indulgently. Loki eased himself beneath Tony's weight and wrapped fingers around his neck. He tried to pull Tony closer still, as close as he could get him. He wanted him right there, with him; in him. He had never been kissed before. It felt like magic.

Languid. Lackadaisical to the point of immobility they wrestled idly within each other under the blue dark night, on the cold floor. And they fell slowly away. They slept wrapped inextricably.

Less than an hour later Loki's eyes shot open. Soft, pleasant smelling hair grazed the side of his cheek and for a second he let the scents around him find their way across his mind. The acrid but not unpleasant scent of alcohol, cologne and after-shave. He didn't have to think to know who lay beside him. Certainly he and Stark had made their way here after their little rendezvous at the bar. Loki cringed, recounting his behavior at under the hazy lights. He hadn't been raised that way. Sure that sort of thing was fine for Thor and company, but he was better than that. Better than them. And Stark had this infuriating ability to make him feel feelings he'd learnt to keep hidden in dark corners. And something about Stark's eyes and manner of being that made him want to confess unspeakable things to him. And that pleasant feeling that came with knowing that Stark was no good for him, but wanting to be near him anyway. He imagines it's what made the man so popular among the ladies.

He disentangled himself from Tony's embrace.

He stood up too quickly and found the earth falling away from his feet for just a second before he steadied himself against the wall. The aftereffects of appearing here with Tony in tow came as an unrelenting, dull, throbbing headache. He fumbled for a light switch and the room became flooded with yellow light. He watched Tony where he slept for a moment, a small lump of blackness in a sea of white. He rolled the sleeves of his dark green shirt and approached, scooping the billionaire up in his arms. The entire apartment was the color of untainted milk, and the lack of furniture and ornaments only echoed its unseemly vastness. The floor to ceiling windows seemed gaping portals to another world, one made of brightly colored lights floating in a black sea.

Loki carried Tony to where he slept and gingerly set him down on the too-soft fabrics, where the mortal sank downwards, surrounded by clouds of pristine white. Loki smiled in spite of himself.

He shook his head, trying to shake away affection. He walked away to the washroom.

The faucet rushed cold water across his fingers and down the sink. He wiped his face with the freezing ice water and he dared catch his eye in the mirror. Under the unforgiving brightness he could see clearly the scars from his fight with the serpent. A long wide gash across his cheek was evidence of the bite slowly taking his life from him. It took more effort than he was used to to hide these little blemishes beneath a thin veil of magic.

When he was satisfied with the results he made his way back to his chambers, fully aware there was nothing to do outside of watching Stark sleep. He sat against the wall and watched the Avenger's chest rise and fall. Up till this point, none of the decisions he had made with his life had left altogether positive consequences and he was just about certain that this thing with Stark would fare no better. In this state of constant fatigue, he almost regretted running from Asgard. If he'd allowed Odin to just punish him and tolerated being bound and gagged and led around like an animal and simply bided his time he wouldn't be in this mess. If he hadn't gotten lost in Elfheinm and wandered into the lair of that infernal serpent. And sure he'd slain it good and dead, but the damn thing had made sure to take him down with it. And Migard had been the closest realm he could find as a means of escape. Now he was stuck.

If he hadn't indulged Stark's advances then maybe the familiar bite of sentiment wouldn't be tightening his chest.

He regretted all of it. He should've let Thor take the throne in the first place. So what if Asgard suffered because of it? He shouldn't have cared. He had all his life been no more than a pariah and a punch line. Yet somehow he had ended up destroying his whole life for the benefit of his detractors; those that hated him to inordinate proportions. Who would've thought that Loki's downfall would have come of caring too much?

When he had first fallen off the Bifrost, he had assumed that it was over. Regret would no longer color his every waking moment. How wrong he had been. But with the bite of that snake then maybe it would truly end for him. Maybe he could finally leave regret behind.

* * *

**Plot? What plot? Hey, you should follow me at trevoristhebadsheep on tumblr because I wanna be friends with you guys. **


	5. Exhaustion

He was running from someone; something. Darkness in overlay. Why the fuck wasn't he in the damn suit? Swiftly, suddenly yanked backwards. Then the sudden sensation of falling. His ears bled and ached. The world rang.

Tony's dark eyes shot open and his pupils immediately contracted to impenetrable pinpoints against the white light flooding the room. He blinked several times before he could get his bearings, all in the presence of an incessant, shrill ringing. And a headache. And a powerful thirst. He was back home, in his room, on the floor. He steadied himself against a corner before attempting to fight gravity and his own weak knees. And, finding his movements somewhat stifled, he realised he was still in the suit he'd worn the previous evening. The ringing wouldn't stop.

He reached across the covers of his bed covering the floor in clouds of gray for the source of pure agony on his hangover. He fumbled his mobile from the fabric and took a breath before sliding his thumb over the interface. Only one person in the entire planet had that damn ringtone. The painful, repetitive, _boring _ring of landlines from his youth did so remind him of the overbearing, controlling and angry adults who used to think they could control him. How fitting.

'_Stark!_?'

'Nicholas.'

'Where the _hell _are you?'

'Uh. Around.'

'Well get over here pronto, _Stark. _We are tired of waiting for your drunk ass to make a fucking appearance. I have _not_ got the fucking time-' Tony pulled the phone away from his ear. Fury's hissy fit was doing nothing for his headache. When all seemed calmer on the other side he dared risk his health and brought the phone close. '-I am _telling _you that if I don't see you in ten minutes I will _personally _see to it that you and that suit _really_ become one! Got it?'

'Of course sir Director Fury, sir!' Tony falsified enthusiasm.

'Dammit Star-' Tony hung up. It wouldn't be his first emergency meeting or pizza party or whatever while nursing a miserable hangover.

He stumbled his way out of the room battling the effects of fatigue that came with partying like it was 1999 every night for a whole week. He doubted he'd amassed more than three hours of sleep last night. And his eyes stung because of it.

_Last night. _

_Waitaminute. _Tony stopped stock still in the hallway. The primary haze of alcoholic indulgence cleared from his memories and last night unwove like a tawdry tapestry of zero self control. He'd met with Loki last night, at around midnight like he was 15 or something. They'd gotten drunk. They'd danced. They'd teleported. Standard date stuff. They'd made out. And he'd passed out.

Tony cringed. Loki probably thought he had the alcohol tolerance of a thirteen year old girl now. _Jesus Christ Tony, that should _not _be your biggest fucking priority right now. _

He shook his head. Right now S.H.I.E.L.D needed him urgently. That blinking light bulb in the rec-room certainly wasn't going to change itself.

After a five minute shower, a quick outfit change and suit up, he flew from the top floor of Stark Tower, almost in free-fall. He cruised across the skyline towards the preprogrammed location of S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters. At this point Fury had filled up his phone with about six messages. He giggled once at the thought of Fury's throbbing aneurysm over his tardiness. But otherwise he was entirely tacit.

When he arrived, his fatigue was becoming a little difficult to control. He was keeping his shit together as much as humanly possible, but the S.H.I.E.L.D agent accompanying him to his destination was sadly the victim of his cognitive failings. He had no clue what he was being briefed about. Not on any comprehensive level. When he and the agent reached the room at the end of the hallway he suddenly knew that he had been left to his own devices.

And when he entered all eyes were on him. He let the helmet fall back into his suit and glanced around. It took him far too long to realise that besides the usual suspects, the Norse god with pretty yellow princess hair was also in the room. And he was staring.

Nick could barely conceal his frustration. 'So, Stark, nice of you to show up.'

'I... I can't...' He was too startled by Thor's presence and could feel his face heating up rapidly. Guilt came slowly, crushing him in layers.

'Eloquent.' Nick quipped. 'I'm _not _gonna repeat myself, especially not for your benefit. All you need to know is a certain God's made a reappearance and his brother's come to get him back. Clear?'

'Yeah.' Tony mumbled, throat dry.

'High threat of violence as we know, if and when Loki makes an appearance I want you all to be on your guard. Patrols are stepping up and I'm making your shifts longer. Congratulations on showing Tony, but this meeting's already over. If you were trying to convince us you don't give a damn about this job or any of your responsibilities then you did a great job, give yourself a pat on the back.'

The room was dismissed and each member of the team passed by with varying degrees of disapproval or disinterest. All except Thor. Thor never stopped staring.

The God of Thunder stepped close and Tony honestly considered pulling the helmet back on, but decided against what might seem an act of aggression. Right now he wanted to go for diplomacy.

'Hey big guy-'

'Why do you carry the scent of my brother?' Thor growled, raising Mjolnir.

'I... what?'

'Do not lie to me Man of Iron. I have known my brother a thousand years, I know his scent from miles and you _smell _exactly like him. Where have you met him.'

'Thor, I... I didn't even _know _it was him, _honest. _He was disguised as a woman. We drank and we danced... She only told me she was him right before she disappeared. I haven't seen her since.'

Thor seemed placated by Tony's half truths. 'When was the last time you met with him.'

'It was more than a week ago.'

'And you did not tell the team?'

'I didn't think it was _really _Loki, I thought she was some crackpot just trying to get my attention.'

'You do not know what happened to her?' Thor's blue eyes welled up with the kind of hope you only saw in kids. Tony wanted to shoot himself for being such an awful dick, but lying felt safe.

'No. Haven't seen her since.'

Thor deflated significantly. 'My apologies, Stark, I did not wish to fight with you, I merely worry for my brother. I wish to find him, and keep him safe. He has run from Asgard, but my father has many enemies who know of Loki's betrayal, they would use him to seize the kingdom. And I... I wish to bring him home, where he belongs. He needs to learn that we love him. We would not leave him to die on Midgard.'

'Uh... yeah,' a lump had grown in Tony's throat. What exactly did he think he was doing?

* * *

The best part about it was Thor wasn't even the highlight of his day. At exactly 4:35 Tony was in one of the numerous living rooms of the tower, distractedly swirling a glass of scotch as he leaned over the bar.

'_This,'_he frowned. 'Is going to end very badly.' He took a final sip of alcohol and set the glass down on the counter.

God, he was exhausted; but sleep was no option. His patrol, thanks to the beloved leader, was in thirty minutes and he wasn't keen on destroying every relationship he had in one afternoon. Though his heavy eyelids were slowly but surely getting the better of him.

A familiar whiff of Chanel No.5 drew him from his near coma, and he slunk from his chair. Like a lovesick cartoon character, he just about floated to the origin of the scent. And he stopped behind Pepper who didn't seem to notice he was there. She was on her phone rambling worriedly on about something, as she did. He let her finish before broadcasting his existence.

'Pep,' he grinned, but as she turned to face him his smile faded real quick. Her eyes were bloodshot; hair disheveled.

'Tony.' Her voice was utterly vacant.

'I haven't seen you all day.' He said carefully.

'Oh, you noticed?' She smiled the emptiest smile possible.

'I noticed.'

'You weren't too busy?'

'Pep, what's wrong?'

'Nothing's wrong Tony.' A tiny crack in her voice. She was more than upset. Pepper had never, as long as he had known her, been one to keep her anger or disappointment a secret from him. Not with such force anyway. Such unfaltering rigidity.

'Pep. You're not ok.'

'I...'She paused, dumbfounded by something. 'I'm not _okay_?' She hissed.

Tony knew better than to answer.

'I'm not _fucking _okay? Goddamnit Tony no wonder you graduated Summa Cum Laude, you're a complete fucking genius, you know that? You've been looking at my goddamn face for two fucking years and you _just _noticed that I'm not okay?! _You_... You...' She took a breath and furrowed her brows before coming close. '_You self absorbed asshole_. I deal with this multi-billion dollar multinational corporation for you, I put up with _you_. I read...' Her eyes misted over, and tears fell. 'I read the damn headlines every fucking week. I _see _you holding on to some skank after a night out that you _lied _to me about so all my friends and family and colleagues know you don't care about me and I make excuses and you-' Her voice failed her.

'Pep-'

'No. No Tony, you don't get to ask me after two years of this shit if I'm ok. I gave you your last shot last night. I waited for two hours, two fucking hours. That's how long it took me to decide you're not worth it. I hope whoever you fucked on our anniversary was a damn good lay. Happy's helping me move out.'

And she left.

* * *

Tony took forty minutes later than usual to suit up. And he took to the skies feeling particularly brittle. His patrol partner for the night, Dr. Pym, said nothing of the lateness and Tony figured his intense pacifism was to blame. He watched the blond fly off into the night on one of his ants to survey his quadrant wishing he'd stayed and picked a fight. The emotional dirt clod in his stomach was starting to ache. He needed to take it out on someone.

An armed robber holding up a liquor store felt the brunt of his pain. Poor guy left the scene in a coma.

Tony made it to the roof of some nearby building and watched the perp get hauled away in an ambulance. He could already hear Fury bitching about it in the next brief. _Excessive force. _What was it that Parker kid had told him once? _With great power comes great responsibility. _Responsibility. He was clearly the wrong guy for the job then.

'Stark.'

Tony turned with his repulsors aimed instinctively at the source of the voice.

'It is wonderful to see you too.' Tony could clearly see Loki's toothy grin beneath the glow of a neon sign enhanced by numerous lamps. Loki as he remembered him from last May, rather than Loki from last night. And he missed the boobs already. He forgot how tired and angry and sad he was.

Loki's grin became a little less certain and he began to sway a little. Tony was by his side in a matter of seconds, helping him stay upright. He started to shake.

'You okay baby?' The term of endearment slipped by Tony's lips quickly. He barely noticed.

'I'm all-' Yellow and green liquid exited Loki's insides as a foul, lumpy wash of something akin to acid.

'Oh. Shit.'

'Oh my...' Loki stepped away from his regurgitation. 'You must think me vile,' he whispered shakily.

'I think... I think you look really pretty tonight.'

Tony wasn't making it up, he let the helmet fall back into the suit and just sort of stared. Beneath the burning neon lights, Loki caught the radiating whiteness on the plains of his skin and Tony felt like he was seeing him for the first time. His eyes were the centerpiece in a vision of loveliness. Big, bright shy eyes that seemed a world away from those he'd stared into before falling through the sky last May. The sort of dinnerplate eyes he could really see his reflection in over a long period of time. And his perfect, long slender body.Though he did miss the boobs.

And surely it meant something that Tony wanted him beyond the physical. He wanted to tell him nice things, and maybe remind him that his family missed him. He wanted to buy him stuff. He wanted to show him how to work a laser pen. He wanted him. Tony would be the last to admit he was falling in love. And he daren't think it now.

'You're a charmer, Stark.' Loki whispered. He let Tony come close and wrap his arms around him, he sunk into Iron Man's embrace 'This is your fault,' he whispered into Tony's neck.

'Everything's my fault,' Tony replied.

'If I had not had to come looking for you, I would not be in such a state.'

'You shouldn't have come looking for me.'

'I needed you.' Loki's murmur was imperceptible. Tony never heard him.


	6. Beethoven

On that dusty roof in the dead of night, Loki's thoughts were comprised completely of the mortal whose red-golden metallic wrapped around his body as they lay together beneath too-bright wording appearantly signifying some sort of popular Midgardian beverage. How kind it had been of him to retrieve water and medicine for his throat and aching head (his pains had been utterly subdued). How his breath smelt vaguely of alcohol and something called mintgum. How his facial hair gristled gently against his forehead. The way his voice wavered when he spoke of something or someone he cared for.

He rouged each time he recalled that they were courting. And his mouth went a little dry with panic when he subsequently remembered that he had no clue what that entailed. He had never deigned to read of such things. They had always seemed such trivial wastes of parchment. On what realm did 'The magic of Love' take precedence over actual magic?

He regretted rolling his eyes at all those asinine book titles now.

He had only come even remotely close to romance once when he had been foolish and young. And that had ended miserably enough that he cringed each time the memory crept up unannounced. Humiliation was a running theme in his life.

He could feel the floodgates crashing open and all those old feelings breaking through now, though he daren't recall the pain they had brought in the past. Each day with Stark (and those had been four so far, not that he was keeping count) only seemed to escalate the stakes just a little bit. His heart seemed to beat a little faster and his mouth felt a little drier. He knew that he was having a difficult time shutting him out, Stark seemed to command the truth from him, and time after time he felt hopeless to comply. It was too easy to be honest with him, and Stark always seemed far from judgement.

Loki didn't even mind his brashness, he didn't care that he loved his alcohol and women enough to rival even Thor and Fandrall's escapades on Asgard, and spoke of both to unending lengths.

And he liked that the hero was so brittle each time they met, because he was brittle too.

'... listening are you?' Stark's voice broke through his thoughts.

'You're boring me.' Loki grinned.

'Not possible. I'm exciting as fuck. One man party.'

'And I am a god. I can summon death with a flick of the wrist.'

'Then I must be a god too.' The orb of light on the palm of Stark's suit began to glow.

'Nonsense. I will not argue this with you again. I'm far too lucid to engage your flawed logic.'

'Not fair. I got some good points this time. Not drunk good, like good good.'

'Absolutely not. I'm certain that of all the subjects possible in all of the nine realms we can find something worth conversation that actually holds my attention.'

'You sure you wanna go there baby?' And there it was again. Loki's heart flipped. 'You know I've got a one track mind. You won't like where the train's headed.'

'I...' He was flustered, still getting used to being reffered to under a term of endearment. 'Tell me about the thing in your chest.'

'Oh, this old thing? This one here was my dad's big idea. Not the whole thing, I'll take the credit thank you very much, but the batteries that keep it running. Well, okay sort of the whole thing, but I don't share credit. Anyway, keeps my heart from getting stabbed from the inside. Keeps me alive.'

'You're not afraid that now I have this information...'

'Nah, I felt your pulse. You like me too much.'

'Oh.' Loki could feel his face turn scarlet. He gently pulled his hand away from Tony's grasp. 'Well now I know what defeated me, at least.'

'Pretty much. Still disappointed about that? After all this time?'

'If it had worked, all that time with Barton and Selvig could have been with you.'

They were both silent for a moment, separately considering that fact.

'That wouldn't fit the time line actually,' Tony eventually pointed out. 'All things considered, we'd probably have had an hour or less.'

'I'm not adept at saying romantic things, Stark. I was trying to be romantic.'

'Shit. Sorry. You wanna try it again? I'll be better this time.'

'The moment has passed.'

'I only have myself to blame.'

'You do.'

'I'm supposed to be better at romance.'

'Considering your illustrious reputation...'

'I've never really _tried _to be romantic before. I mean, seduction is a world away from romance. I know seduction like the back of my hand, but with romance I'm a fucking boat in the desert. I've seen t.v shows longer than every relationship I've ever had. All I know is how to fuck 'em and leave em. Except this. I like you even though you don't have those awesome boobs anymore. And that's saying something. I mean, I felt the same about Pepper. She was supposed to be different, you know? But I couldn't hack it. I didn't know how to love her the way she needed me to. It was all so much harder than it was supposed to be, and in the end I guess I gave up. I went back to what I knew and ended up hurting her worse than if I'd never tried to love her in the first place... I'm doing it again, aren't I?'

'I don't mind. It's alright.'

'Promised I'd stop talking about her and every five minutes I just start monologueing.'

'I like to hear you talk, even if it's about things that make you sad.' Loki confessed, closing his eyes. He was utterly unaware of the floodgates anymore, and just how fatally they had been breached.

'You,' the metallic hand of the suit rolled away and Loki felt Tony's fingers brushing along the underside of his jawline. 'I didn't understand before, why Thor kept defending you for what you'd done or why he believed so much that he could fix you. But I see it now, I see why he loves you so much.'

Loki froze in Tony's arms. 'Do not speak to me of my brother's _love_.' His voice was cold and stilted. Shame and self-loathing rose to his throat like bile.

'At least tell me what happened.'

Loki shook his head and tried to find distance between himself and the hero. The floodgates were slowly fixing themselves up again.

Normally when he no longer wished to be someplace he just vanished without second thought, but with his magic being what it was, and considering that he did not wish to see more of the contents of his stomach, he only slid away from Stark and prayed the Avenger would stay where he was.

'I will not speak with you of my brother.' Loki hoped he sounded strong and resilient, but there was a shaking in his body he feared was self-evident. Stark did not keep his distance. But he did not speak. Instead he wrapped an arm around the god and kissed his neck. Loki thought he would cry from the sudden wave of memories engulfing him, forcing him beneath the surface, but in Tony's embrace, none of his pain seemed all that bad. He could breathe.

'I'm sorry,' Tony whispered and kissed him again. 'Forgive me?' Tony kissed his jaw.

'You're forgiv—' Tony smothered him in kisses and all Loki could do was laugh. And they descended into a fit of giggles for a minute. The absurdity of it all. Hero and villain, kissing under a gaudy coca-cola sign like a couple of lovesick kids.

The God sank into the mortal's arm, relishing the cool of the mortal's suit. It was uncomfortable only for a second. They lay together in silence. Just the buzz of the lights behind them. And the rush of the city below.

It took Loki roughly thirty to realise the mortal had fallen asleep and he disentangled himself from his grasp. He stood and gazed at the man decked in the most flamboyant ruby and gold this side of Asgard. This was his second time in as many days watching the mortal sleep. And an iridescent calm claimed his body, and his mind. It'd been so long since he'd felt contentment. It crept so silently upon him, he never noticed himself relinquishing control; if only for that single solid moment on an unknown rooftop; beneath a blinking white sign.

* * *

Tony snapped out of sleep at the insistence of a raucous cacophony. Beethoven's fifth, second movement. It was loud enough to rattle the lampshade on Tony's bedside. He rolled over and pressed a pillow to his ears. He didn't fucking need this.

'Jarvis!' He shouted. 'Turn that fucking thing off!'

'I've tried to, Sir. Perhaps you should tell your guest yourself. Each time I try to he only turns it back on louder. Also, now that you're awake, I don't actually know if I'm supposed to call S.H.I.E.L.D or if you'd rather I placed you in mortal danger instead. I just assumed mortal danger.'

'UGGGGHHHHHHHHH,' Tony growled.

But he was up in seconds anyway. He stumbled to the doorway leading to his vast living quarters. He had to blink a few times to wipe the sleep from his eyes and make sure he was seeing right.

There was Loki on the lime green (duh) Adaglogi sofa with his eyes and smile pointed triumphantly at the sky. Tony didn't have to guess.

'I would have pegged you as more a Tchaikovsky type.' Tony grinned, unsure whether or not he could be heard over the noise.

Loki turned and the music ceased. He smiled pleasantly, as if utterly unaware he'd woken Tony with the auditory equivalent of a frying pan over the head. Or maybe he was aware. 'How did you sleep, Tony?'

'I,' Tony turned to the large window behind Loki, streaming in all kinds of sunlight and winced. He was also completely awake to the fact that Loki had addressed him using his first name and tried not to let his utter appreciation of this show. 'Slept like shit. What time is it?'

'If I may interject,' Jarvis interjected. 'This man threw you out the window, sir. He is number three on S.H.I.E.L.D's most dangerous criminals list.'

'Number three?' Loki looked pointedly at Tony, who shrugged.

'You were on Asgard.'

'All I'm saying,' Jarvis interjected again. 'Is that we have S.H.I.E.L.D on speed-dial. And Ms. Potts.'

'That won't be necessary.' Tony assured the A.I, eyes on Loki who was smiling at the ceiling.

'Certainly sir. I have an undertaker in my indexes who would welcome our business.'

'Funny.' Tony rolled his eyes. Loki laughed.

'The building is humorous indeed. But please alert it to never attempt to interfere while I listen to music again or I will reduce your tower to a pile of rubble.'

'Noted. I gotta brush my teeth. Don't disappear on me.'

'If I had the energy... If I had not had to remove your armour for you as you slept I would have left already.'

'Yeah, well thanks for that.' Tony hooked him by the waist and pulled him in for a brief kiss.

'You're welcome.' Loki said solemnly, though he was completely crimson.

Tony left him and found a bathroom and wondered whilst in the process of washing his face, whether or not every single bathroom in this whole tower was stocked though he was the only one living here. Loki would make a nice permanent fixture. He grinned foolishly as he brushed his teeth feeling obscenely happy. Was it legal for people to be as wholeheartedly happy as he was? He heard the beggings of Fur Elise from the living room. Perfect. He'd since forgotten that he hated classical music anyway.

Breath minty fresh like he liked it, he walked back to the living room to find Loki staring out the window. He approached from behind and wrapped his arms around the God's waist and kissed his neck.

'My brother told me I would rather dislike Midgardian music.'

'Now, why would he say a thing like that?' Tony grabbed Loki by the hand, and turned him around.

'He told me you listened to the sort of thing I would utterly disagree with. But, even by Midgardian standards, this music is fit for court.'

'Oh, this? It's not even mine. Pepper's the one who listens to this .'

'Then she has superior taste.'

'I won't even argue with you.' He pulled Loki down for a kiss on the lips. The god was certainly participating more; he was growing confident in his little motions, though Tony was still the captain of that boat. Tony liked the whole feel of it; the surface of Loki's tongue, the inside of his teeth, the roof of his mouth; everything. And Loki's tongue fighting back, if tentatively, was a wonderful development. Loki placed his hands beneath Tony's jaw and pulled him closer. Tony had noticed that the Asgardian had a habit of pulling him close when they kissed, well he wasn't about to psychoanalyse it _now_. He pulled away and pressed Loki's body against the window 'Maybe after we-'

_Riing Ring Ring_

Tony actually twitched a little.

'_Sir, _Incoming call from S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters.' Jarvis snidely pointed out. Tony really had to reprogram him soon.

'I can see that.' Tony growled. He lifted the phone from his jean pocket and and just stared for a moment. He _knew _where his priorities lay but honestly, making out with a really sexy God far trumped another one of Fury's tantrums right in his ear.

'Nick.' He answered curtly.

'I'm there in five. Hope you're decent.'

'What?' Tony's disbelief was palpable.

'It's one o'clock in the afternoon, Stark. I'm just glad you're awake.'

'You are _not _coming here.' Tony hissed.

'You're letting me in or I'm nuking the god damned door down.' And he hung up.

'_What?_'

'Director Fury's vehicle is a quarter of a mile from the premises, might I suggest hiding your guest behind the curtains?' Jarvis pointed out. Was that _smugness_? Tony utterly regretted programming a glorified _Siri_ with the full range of human emotion.

'He's just gonna _show up_?'

'He called an hour ago, actually. But I did not wish to wake you. Sir'

Tony stood stock still, both frustrated and wrought with disbelief. His own AI was conspiring against him.

'I'm going to take you apart and rebuild you as a toaster.' Tony grumbled.

'You built me in the first place, sir, you only have yourself to blame.'

'Do you,' Loki spoke for the first time since the phone rang. 'Always get into arguments with your tower?'

'Just one of the many perks of being me.' Tony sighed.

Three minutes and forty five seconds later Fury and his eye-patch were making their way to the second-last floor. Tony was reclining on one of the sofas trying his damndest not to let his actual feelings about Nick's presence seep through his demeanour. He was also very, very aware of Loki was standing right next to him. Invisible, yes, but still right there.

Fury eventually sashayed through the door beside a little helper robot Tony had forgotten to decommision. He was wearing one of his three expressions besides angry and very angry: _judgemental._

'Tony, we need to talk.' He said.

'Are you breaking up with me?' There was no laughter in his voice though, he downright despised being judged and he had the feeling that was exactly what was happening.

'I have put up with you for a long time,' Fury spoke evenly, as if he was choosing his words with care. 'Longer than any sane man would have. I have given you chance after chance to prove yourself, I have stood by my decision to keep you on in the face of heavy criticism and my leadership has been questioned because of it. I'm here because I trusted you to become a better person, a better _hero. _And you betrayed that trust. I'm not even going to talk about the past few months, but this week. Thor tells me you had contact with Loki. And you didn't report it _a week ago. _You completely abandoned your patrol last night and when your partner came looking for you, you were nowhere to be found. You turned a simple arrest into four injuries and one guy fighting for his life. And it's on the_ internet_. I wanted to do this in person so you know this is final. You are suspended from your duties as an Avenger, effective immediately. You will resume your duties as a consultant in a month. In the meantime get your shit together and your priorities straight.'

Fury was looking at him and Tony was looking back. His lips were pressed thinly together. He couldn't be sure what emotion was feeling but maybe it was all of them. With the exception of any form of gladness.

'Do you have anything to say about that?'

'No.' Tony answered hoarsely.

As Fury walked away Tony felt a ghost of a hand over his. He didn't move. He was utterly immune to touch.

'Let's get shitfaced,' Tony said to no-one in particular.

* * *

**If I didn't have the attention span of a walnut I might have finished this faster. Thanks for your reviews and follows guys, if i could offer you all my body, i would. In an unrelated story I finally found the plot. It was in my other pants. Look forward to it in the next chapter. Now that I've established the nature of their relationship, i think it's time I destroyed everything. Hehe. **


	7. Evening

**Update was scheduled for yestarday but there was a storm and power outtage so I mean God clearly aint a fan. Anyway, there's some graphic sex down there so read lightly if you have a phobia of gay fucking. Idek ill proofread later. Tired as balls.**

* * *

Loki was sitting on the pair of stairs that lead to the wide window behind him and watching Tony get drunk while twilight dawned on the room. They were in the bar on the second highest floor and utterly alone in the entire building, save for Jarvis's occasional sarcastic entrances into the conversation. Loki felt ever lonelier the further Tony descended into drunkenness. The whole scene tugged at memories barely years old, but already feeling half fogged in what seemed like years and years of accumulated dust. Watching Thor and his friends drink with all of the court; he would meander along the edges, always awaiting his exit- though it never appeared soon enough. When he was younger he would drink with them, laugh and dance and act like a complete fool, disregard his dignity for that clawing in his chest that demanded he find their merriment for himself. He never could, of course. And after those exertions, no matter how drunk he was the empty space inside him only seemed to grow. So he'd stopped drinking along and watched instead, and the comments this invited counted for nothing; standing on the sidelines and observing just felt more natural and hurt less than manufacturing glee, as it turned out.

Some of those old feelings had already started to corrode away at his ease.

Tony reached for another bottle of scotch and Loki made no move to stop him. The weaknesses of mortals beyond the combative were simply not in his arsenal of knowledge. For all he knew alcohol poisoning might as well have been the measels. To his unknowing fortune, however, Tony's drinking had been punctuated by long periods of rambling monologues, most of which Loki couldn't follow anyway. And every now and again Tony fell into a long, sullen silence, staring at a corner of the room. He was only on his second bottle.

And Loki had attempted, within the first hour to comfort the mortal and quickly found himself far from his depths. He had only comforted one other person in his life and Thor was generally easily placated by a spot of mischief or a friendly archery match. His trouble only reached the shallow shores of lovelorn mourning and failures in the wrestling circle. Sometimes he was fixed right up with a quick pat on the back.

Tony, however, had ignored every hand Loki had offered and simply refused to listen when he had tried reasoning. Beyond that Loki just watched Tony stumble and stutter. After that initial hour, time had moved surprisingly quickly. Loki had become lost in thought every time Tony suddenly became inert. And watching the mortal's behaviour was a source of growing interest. This was the first time Loki was sober while Tony was drunk, and the god was learning so much.

The mortal balanced himself against the countertop of the bar and took another long, measured sip from the bottle and let it down on the surface with some force.

'Do you _know,' _the mortal slurred. 'I'm on vacation. We should... I should take you places. You ever been to Europe? France... You'll like France. Fuckin' Paris. Know what...? C'mere.'

Loki stood and approached the mortal, who wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed his lips to the god's neck. 'Dance with me,' He whispered against Loki's skin.

'To this-?' The god was in mid protest when Tont cut him off, tugging him into a kiss. Metallica droned on in hushed tones in the background. Drunk Tony was hardly the most elegant; the kiss was sloppy and confused. Though Loki's heart still lapsed as Tony pressed their bodies together. He felt everything in its entirety within their embrace. And it was pretty good.

Tony explored Loki's abdomen with unabashed enthusiasm, uninhibited by sobriety. And Loki, suddenly feeling the warmth of Tony's fingertips on his skin, stopped cold. Tony didn't notice. His fingers liked the sinewy tightness, the taut skin over hard muscle. This wasn't the warm softness of a woman's abdomen; it was the firm heat of the male form. It felt new. And Tony liked new things.

'Stark...?' Loki's voice was rife with uncertainty.

'I'll take care of you, I promise.' Tony murmured, garnering enough lucidity to remember that he was dealing with a thousand year old virgin. 'Lie down,' he instructed. And Loki complied, Tony followed. He straddled Loki's pelvis as the God lay flat against the floor, and leaned into another long, hopeless kiss. Tony reached for the top button of Loki's shirt, and pulled it loosely from its binding to reveal partial view of Loki's long collarbone and the shadowed dip of his jugular notch. Loki, for his part, mounted his own expedition of Tony's middle, if gently; with added care. The knot of excitement growing tighter in his chest; the maddened acceleration of his beating heart. The strange, surreal weakness in his limbs. The sensation of giving in utterly unlike giving up. Tony's head hid the light from the ceiling above them and inhabited the ends of Tony's dark waves of hair in golden dashes. From where Loki lay, Tony bore a strange resemblance to perfection.

By the fifth button Tony's patience wore too thin and he plunged in. Tracing hard lines across Loki's skin he felt the dips separating his abdomen into six; the rise if his chest and the island of a lone, pert nipple. He played the nipple between his thumb and forefinger and reached for another kiss. Loki's gasping breath became his as their lips crashed together. Loki's hand raced Tony's arching spine and pulled him downward by the back of the neck. When their bodies became parallel, he occupied his free hand with the task of ridding Loki of his clothing. Shirt gone. Tony's lips found Loki's neck. His tongue swept along the god's jugular. Lips bit possessively on that pretty collarbone. Loki was in the throes of passion, lost in Tony's expertise. His head thrown back, exposing more of that long, ridiculous neck. His grunts were getting to be quite the audio. Tony loved the feedback. He smashed their lips together again, then sat up.

Loki calmed and stared with liquid eyes inferring the kind of trust Tony was not at all familiar with. The billionaire snapped his shirt off, then sank to Loki's side. And he wrapped a leg around Loki's naked abdomen; they fell into their old kiss effortlessly. Tony moved forward on his mission. This time with his fingers wrapped around the loop of Loki's belt. And it was done away with the sort of ease afforded only to old hands at this sort of thing. And he unbuttoned the top button, and pulled the trousers as low as his flexibility was willing. That was as far as he'd planned it. For moments longer he forgot everything outside of Loki's mouth and their tongues sliding roughly against one another.

Then he reached down again. And he felt a solidness he'd forgotten to prepare for. He paused his end of the kiss. And the alcohol seemed to drain. He remembered what he was doing with sobering clarity.

He was about to have sex. With a guy. An Asgard guy. A Loki Asgard guy.

Oh.

Loki's end of the kiss came to a halt too and his eyes met with the mortal's just milimitres from him. They were both breathing in great heaving gasps. Tony was still palming Loki's genitals across the fabric of his underwear. Apparently gods went for briefs.

'Tony...' Loki asked with ragged breath.

'I have to find a condom.' Tony blurted. He did, didn't he? He thought he did. _Goddammit._

Loki nodded, though it was obvious from his expression condoms didn't exist in Asgard.

Tony didn't move. He didn't want to. He wasn't leaving. He did a quick palm through of his pockets and came up empty. Well... Well he didn't have anything. He knew that for damn sure. Did gods get STDs?

He sat up and moved, he kneeled between Loki's legs. The god was staring at him. 'You promise you're a virgin right?' Tony cross examined.

'Why would I lie about that?' Loki's breathing was calming, but his face was still flushed.

'Just...nothing. Okay.' Tony leaned forward and positioned himself as he previously were. He gave Loki a kiss on the cheek, and a few pecks across his jaw. And a couple more on his neck. And with his hands he worked on shimmying Loki out of his briefs. He sat back and pulled the charcoal gray undies off the God's legs. They made a clinking noise as they piled onto the god's previously discarded belt.

Then Tony had to sit back a little. Because that was a penis. Uncut, seven inches maybe. And even now it seemed to just be dawning that there would be another penis, besides his own, involved in all this. Beyond the 7 inch (or so, maybe. This was not actually Tony's field of expertise) uncut cock, Loki's chest rose and fell in rhythm. The sight made Tony even harder (if possible)

And Tony liked him. Goddamnit Tony liked his fucking guts. So he wrapped a palm around his cock with all the intention of making him feel the best he's ever felt. He started off slow, like he would himself. Knowing the pressure he preferred; the speed he liked best, he escalated in rhythm. Loki liked it. Head thrown back, fists clenched. Toes curled. Tony liked seeing him like this; at his mercy. Tony didn't expect Loki to last long, and he was right. Within moments his whole body clenched and released; cum splaying Loki's abdomen, and most of Tony's hand.

Tony didn't mind the mess and Loki wouldn't have noticed either way. He leaned in again; Loki's body shaking underneath him. He kissed barely responding Loki long and hard; slowly undoing the button of his jeans in the process. He slid his erection from its shackled as Loki slid into lucidity.

'Hey,' Tony whispered and paused for an awkward little moment as he worried about how to phrase this. 'You _do _know how this works right?'

'I'm not stupid,' Loki mumbled drowsily.

'Okay, okay,' Tony conceded. He took a deep breath and ran his thumb across his cock. 'Lie still.'

Loki half nodded and his whole body stiffened.

'Relax,' Tony advised. Loki didn't really, but he seemed to try his best. Tony sat up again and rose on his knees. And he stared down at the puckered asshole. Just like hundreds he'd already fucked; but so so fucking different. He took a deep breath and looked at Loki; who's eyes were fixed on him. There was no way Tony could know the storm brewing behind those eyes; how much Loki had already read into Tony's apparent hesitation. And just how ready Loki was, in that moment, utterly willing to accept rejection and pretend it didn't hurt that actually Tony didn't really want to fuck him at all. And that was fine. It was all fine.

Tony took a deep breath and slid a couple of fingers in his mouth; slicking them up till they gleamed with saliva. Loki watched him carefully. He moved his middle finger to Loki's bottom and took the plunge just about immediately. Loki shot up a little. Tony let the finger in and explored some, till he deemed the entrance ready for a second visitor. Then a third. And he positioned himself a little better to look for the prostate. And when he found it Loki gasped into the night. And his legs tightened around Tony's body.

Tony rubbed it down a few more times until he figured Loki would be in enough of a state not to entirely notice that a dick was considerably less fun on the old sphincter than a couple of fingers. He slid his fingers away and spat in his hand. He rubbed down his cock, then Loki's crack.

He went for it.

Tony pressed the tip of his dick against Loki's opening. And then he inched it in. The god immediately froze up. Whatever residual pleasure might have been present previously had clearly just died. The god winced as Tony ventured forward, as carefully as he could.

'Relax,' he whispered continually.

Loki clearly tried to, and Tony had to work with what he had; even if his raging hard on was difficult to contain. Eventually, though, he was all in. And he started slowly, feeling out the tightness; dipping in for a kiss now and again. When they found a cool, calm rhythm Tony lifted Loki off the ground a bit, in favour of finding his prostate again. Loki lost himself to the pleasure of being fucked. And Tony lost himself in the pleasure of fucking. He built up speed in response to Loki's physicality and his own want.

And then he felt it. The rising, numbing feeling of impending orgasm electrified his limbs and slowed his brain. His vision blurred.

He came.

* * *

They fell asleep entangled and utterly content; if sticky.

* * *

**This is hardly a classy story anymore. I'll see you guys in the hottest part of hell!**


	8. Cold Coffee

**I know. And I'm sorry. There were storms of a literal sort that led to power outtages and storms of a figurative sort that led to breakdowns of a different kind. Forgive me c: P.S I haven't proofread yet.**

* * *

Loki awoke with a pleasant buzz aligning his bones. He opened his eyes to the dull orange light of dawn coloring the entire room. He felt truly rested for the first time in rather a while; and he stretched his body lightly, feeling the comfortable cool of the wooden floor against his skin. He was barely aware of a light, pleasant ache across the lower regions of his body. He glanced down to find Tony's large arm draped across his waist, and he shuffled closer to the mortal; feeling his he was warmer than he remembered. He buried his face in the mortal's soft, thick waves of dark hair, the scent of fruit very much evident. Drugged with calm, it was a moment before he recognised their mutual nudity. And a while longer before last night swam to his mind as an explanation.

The god froze for a moment, uncertainty tainting his reaction time.

Well now he was embarrassed; he felt his face redden. And his pulse quickened.

Well. _Well._

He couldn't suppress the grin warming over his face though. And his body moved -almost of its own accord- to sink further into the mortal's arms. He touched his face, feeling a sort of trance steal him away as he traced Stark's features. Features already engrained onto his memory. He ran a long finger along grizzled facial hair, and over a soft upper lip. His face only seemed to get more and more attractive the more time they spent together. His attractive, smart little human. His human. The whole thing seemed to uncurl before him with such ease. Life was suddenly simple. All was plainly well.

Loki was only prepared to lie there as long as the Jotun equivalent of vasopressin smothered him with affection. After that he untangled himself from Tony's loose hold and frowned for almost a full three minutes at the pile of clothes on the floor beside him. He knew he couldn't wear those again. But conjuring clothes would take his energy, and if he vanished off home to find attire, if or when he'd be strong enough to return was utterly beyond him. Stark's clothes would have to suffice for the time being. But first- _first_ a bath. He felt absolutely filthy.

At first, Loki had been utterly unphased by Stark's tower; Asgard had taller buildings with more rooms and far more winding, endless hallways. It was only now that he realised the crucial difference; he had lived on Asgard-in its magnificent, opulent towers- for more than a thousand years, and in this tower he'd been for two nights and a day. It was a veritable forest of entranceways and translucent walls. Thrice he found himself where he began. Thrice he thought to wake Tony to ask for help and thrice thought better of it. He was quickly losing patience and, if not for his determination, he might have waited the full three hours until Tony finally joined the waking world. After forty-five minutes of aimless wandering along the whole second last floor Jarvis interjected suddenly enough that Loki jumped just a little.

'Are you lost, sir?' the AI asked. Loki could swear he heard laughter in the thing's voice.

'_Yes.' _And boy did Loki hate admitting it. 'Direct me to the nearest bathing quarters.'

'The door to your left.'

Loki turned the knob and found one of the tower's opulent bathrooms decked in black and white minimalistic decor. 'Might you have perhaps assisted me earlier?' Loki growled, utterly frustrated by the whole thing.

'You didn't ask,' Jarvis replied, Loki thought he sounded smug as hell.

'When I am able, I will turn you into a toad.'

'At least I'll finally have a body.'

'I hope you enjoy it in the seconds before I crush you beneath my foot.'

'Hardly, sir. I'll just hide in one of the other bathrooms. I'll live out my years before you find me.'

'You forget that I am a god.'

'I was programmed not to believe in 'gods'. You are illogical.'

Loki laughed, not knowing whether to take being called illogical as an insult. 'I don't think a talking house is in any position to tell me whether or not I am within logic.'

'Touche,' The AI conceded. 'Try not to drown, sir.'

Loki rolled his eyes and let the building have the last word- _this _time.

* * *

When Tony eventually woke up the sun was way too fucking bright, and the familiar pangs of a run of the mill hangover were building nests inside his head and along the borders of his throat. He didn't want to wake up, God knows, but he felt the distinct compulsion to anyway. He felt spent, but not tired. Like he'd run a mile in his sleep. It only took him a quarter of a minute to realize why once he figured his nudity. And five more seconds to remember with whom. And a further 40 seconds smiling at the ceiling. Well la-di-da. What a way to wake up to a Sunday, if today _was_ Sunday.

Tony hadn't figured Loki would be in the building at all given the disappearing routine he favoured so much,So he got up, intending to take a shower. He headed for the bathroom on the west-side, all the while strutting exactly like a man who just had sex with a god should be allowed to strut. _Whistling, _because in some situations whistling was practically mandatory.

Under the deluge of warm water, Tony planned his day around the workshop. He hadn't had any new work done in weeks, and honestly he had no idea how to contact Loki anyway. But he made the decision that at midnight he'd show up at their mutual hang out on the off chance Loki was prepared to show. If he didn't Tony woould be ok with it. Everyone dealt with losing their virginity in different ways. Tony had been veering to close to shitfaced to process Loki's reaction to the whole thing properly. He just hoped Loki wouldn't be flinging things at him the next time they met.

Tony lathered, rinsed and repeated twice, lost in thought. He wrapped himself in a towel, threw a new outfit on and took an elevator down to the lab no less preoccupied.

He did look up eventually, as the elevator pinged its destination. 'Jarvis, could you look up my incomplete projects for me please, categorise them chronologically and list the test success rates, time spent and blue print maps on the main HUD.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Have Helper get me a coffee.'

'Two sugars, sir?'

'Three. I'm living life on the edge now, if you hadn't noticed.'

'Of course, may the force be with you.'

Tony had to laugh. Some would have called it narcissistic to sync and patch Jarvis with localized algorithms particular to his personality, but Tony called it perfection. Which, in hindsight, was probably even more narcissistic. Still, Jarvis was his greatest invention; better than the Iron Man. It took him fifteen years to get through the initial interface certain there'd be no more looping or open ended programming errors, and a further five while he intergrated a little learning module via a script he'd developed at M.I.T and perfected only six years prior, so they could interact better. A labour of love more than anything. And now Jarvis was the most technically advanced AI in the world. All things considered, he was practically a real boy.

The entrance to the lab was slightly ajar, and Tony had to assume one of the robots had come down for something and forgotten to shut the door behind them. Which all in all meant some more faulty programming he'd have to get around to fixing. He smiled a little smile and rolled his eyes. This was probably not the worst vacation he was apt to have. He needed a break. And he felt better than he had in about a year. It was for the best.

He'd talk to Pepper, and the team maybe... And Nick? He owed Nick nothing.

The main HUD displayed all the specs he'd asked for and he browsed casually; looking for a decent first project to dig into and finally finish.

'Oh, you finally woke up.'

Tony wasn't startled to see Loki, though surprise was highly evident in his expression; he was taken aback by what he was wearing. They were clothes Tony recognised as his own, but on Loki's stature they took on a whole new life. An old white AC/DC t-shirt clung to his frame; showing off a gratuitous portions of Loki's collarbone and milky white neck, and one of Pepper's jeans hugged his long, long legs. His hair fell straight to his shoulders. And he was barefoot. Tony half expected him to pick up a guitar out of nowhere and start strumming_ 'Come as you are'_.

'You're staring.' Loki raised an eyebrow.

'Ha. Yeah, you look different.' Not bad different, Tony smiled.

'Circumstances,' Loki flicked a wrist by way of explanation.

'I'm not complaining.'

'Your shoes were too small.'

'Uh huh.' Tony approached, and wrapped an arm around Loki's middle. 'You look good in my clothes.'

'I feel like a peasant.'

Tony gave him a kiss. 'You look like 1997. And the good part too.'

'Sorry?'

'I'm just sayin' a lot of people would trample their own grandmas to be in the position I'm in.'

Loki rolled his eyes. Tony gave him another kiss.

'How'd you like it?' Tony whispered, releasing Loki's lips.

'Like what?'

'Last night.'

'Oh. Uh...' Loki blushed, licked his lips and tried to break eye contact with Tony,and found that he couldn't. 'Well... I rather enjoyed myself.'

'Good.' Tony had scarcely spoken than their lips came together again. 'I aim to please.'

With all the timing of a nosy parent, Helper finally showed with his coffee. Tony took it from him and set it down on the bench, knowing full well that he may never drink it. He swiveled Loki round with the intention of a harried make out session on his workbench, but caught the glint of an empty display case without the Mark VII in its usual place. And he remembered that the other night Loki had taken it off him while he was passed out. He hadn't even thought about it since.

'Where's my suit?' he asked.

Loki shrugged. 'In one of the nine realms, certainly.'

'... What?'

'Oh, you have seven more.' Loki gestured at the other suits, stoic in their casing.

'You...'Tony pinched the bridge of his nose.'You don't know where it is.'

'I waved a hand, sometimes I can't sense where things go and they just sort of disappear.' Loki was trying his damndest to supress a grin. The suit was somewhere in the tower; he hadn't felt it travel too far, but Tony didn't need to know that.

'Are you telling the truth?'

'You don't believe me?'

Tony stared at him for a long time, and Loki held his stare.

'_Well,' _Tony eventually drew out. 'I have work to do. You're welcome to stay, but I have to warn you I'm not sure I'll be able to handle myself if you stick around._'_

Loki rolled his eyes (it was getting to be reflexive) 'I'm sure you'll manage.' he smiled.

'You don't know me all that well, do you?' And another kiss.

As it turned out, Tony did manage (for the most part), and got down to work on a synbiosis mod he'd been procrastinating over since January. Loki spoke with him for about thirty minutes about it, till he lost interest and wandered off. Tony prayed a little prayer that he wasn't busy turning his tech into worms and disappearing it off to Asgard. But once he was in the zone it was impossible for him to tear himself away from the matter at hand. This new tech- better design, higher efficiency, less possible programming errors-was going to revolutionize the way he communicated with his suit. And it was pretty too. All gold and red; he was a wiz at aesthetics. The further he fell into it, the farther and farther out the world around him crawled away. Lucky for him though, he had Dummy to completely decimate his concentration.

A clang reverberated across the workshop as the robot set a plate of food down about as gingerly as he was ever likely to.

Tony blinked back surprise and frowned at the robot. 'Thanks for that.' The robot swivelled in place, obviously pleased with itself. It was a good thing Tony hadn't programmed it to recognize sarcasm and sucked all the joy out of the poor thing's life. Dummy left in triumph, and Tony stared at the plate of spaghetti and meatballs lovingly prepared for him by his staff of highly organised machinery. With last's night alcohol still making its way through his system, he knew he wasn't ready to eat yet. At best he could do with a cup of coffee. He regretted ignoring the cup brought by Helper; it was too cold now.

'Jarvis, have Helper send down another cup.'

'Yes, sir. None for your guest?'

'Sure. Two cups. Where is he by the way?'

'On the fourth floor. Should I call him down?'

'Do that.'

And Loki must've thought it was urgent, because he appeared infront of Tony only seconds later. And Tony immediatley moved to his side as he swayed in place. His skin was paler than always, breathing ragged.

'Woah there. You okay?' Tony held him up as best he could, and moved him to a stool. Loki leaned back; long, lanky limbs sprawled over the workbench. Tony had to look away to avoid a situation in his jeans.

'I thought I could force it.'

'You look awful.'

'I'm aware.'

'Here,' Tony pushed the spaghetti across the workbench. 'Get your energy up.'

Loki screwed up his face, but grabbed the fork nonetheless.

'It's becoming harder,' Loki mumbled between mouthfulls. 'To manage simple magic. You may have to take me home, though I warn you, I'm not actually sure where that is.'

'Hakuna Matata,' Tony wrapped an arm around Loki's shoulder. 'Stay with me till you feel better.'

'You still won't believe I'm dying?'

'I also choose not to believe my suit's floating off in space somewhere.'

'I don't expect you to trust me.'

'And yet here you are in my workshop and here I am with no armor on.'

'Whilst I am in your clothing.'

There was a breath of silence. Loki gazed into Tony's bright eyes, a smile calling at the corners of his lips; the stillness of the moment amplified by the ethereal slivers of calm compelling one body to another. Tony kissed his cheek.

'I like you in my clothes. And out of them.'

'Really, Stark? You're exhausting.'

'You can't convince me that's not a compliment.' Another kiss. 'I'm taking you to Paris next week. But Malibu first... and maybe Monaco after. I don't know. We'll talk about it.'

'Next week?' Loki smiled uncertainly. 'My brother will have found me by then.'

'Have a little faith.'

'Do you doubt my brother's abilities? You do not remember that he found me in the sky almost immediately after landing in Asgard? He uses the All-Father's magic, Stark. It is far, far stronger than mine.'

'Why can't you be a delusional optimist for five seconds. Indulge me.'

'Fine.' Loki had another fork-full. 'What you have us do in this Paris?'

Tony shrugged. 'I'd take you to the Louvre, the opera house... stuff.'

'Riveting.' Loki mumbled sarcastically.

'Oh, you'll love it. Probably. We'll catch some of that Beethoven you're such a fan of.'

'The building assured me he was dead.'

'It'll be a rendition.'

'Fair.'

'Woah there, curb your enthusiasm.'

Loki laughed, pushing away the plate. 'Just a few more days with you...' It was getting easier, that was certain. But it was still hard. That's why he let the sentence hang in the air and die. Surely Stark already knew he was infatuated, reminding him every two minutes was redundant.

'Yeah.' Tony smiled gravely. 'Yeah.'

It was the oddest, most complete feeling in the nine realms, knowing that his affection was requited. It went a way towards explaing all those ancient wars the All-Father used to speak of; wars fought for the hand of a fair maiden. In his current state, he could almost sympathise.

'This has been a good week. I did not expect it to be.' He whispered.

'Yeah. Well, finding love in unexpected places and all that.' Tony reached for Loki's hand and held it within his. It was colder.

They shared eye contact for a moment longer, when Tony began to smile and Loki watched him for a moment, before returning his own smile, though with such uncertainty it faded within seconds.

'You... you do not regret this?'

'Why would I?'

'You would have me? Inspite of all the offenses I commited against you- and Midgard?'

'Yeah.' Tony answered hoarsely. He knew the sheer volume of guilt he'd signed up for.

Loki initiated it this time; leaning in, holding Tony's face in his hands and, gathering all the experience he'd had to accrue over four days, sneaking his tongue into Tony's mouth. Kissing him almost unrelentingly. He pushed him backwards onto the worktable in his relentless pursuit of proximity.

Tony was cool with this.

Loki saddled Tony's lap, finding what little balance the stool provided, and wrapped his arms around his neck.

* * *

'...And then I fell...'Loki sighed roughly; his voice worse for wear. Tony was holding him as his body trembled and he struggled to hold back impending tears.

They were on the floor of the workshop, it was four hours since Helper had shown up with two steaming mugs of coffee. Four hours since Loki had grimaced and offered Tony his share. A couple of make-out sessions, some groping and a smidgen of honesty later and Loki was a mess; floodgates having been burst irreparably. But he still had the presence of mind to keep a few things to himself. Certain things that nobody needed to know. He didn't intend to relate the whole debacle with the Chitauri and Thanos either. For the moment his fall from Asgard was too much and pushing certain things was unwise.

'I failed everyone who cared for me...' his voice was barely a whisper.

'I understand what you mean.' Tony sympathised softly. Loki leaned in against his chest staring, for a moment, at the blue of the arc-reactor.

A silence.

Then he spoke; embittered this time.

'They want me back in Asgard to pay for my crimes against the throne; for inciting war on both Midgard and against the Joutenheim. Thor thinks they will forgive me and we can go frolicking along on adventures like always. They are taking months to decide a fitting punishment, dragging me around the court in chains for the Aesir to glare in contempt at the fallen prince, tell their children about the lying snake who got caught and would have his head severed from his shoulders. And tell their kids never to lie or the same would happen to them. I would rather die a thousand deaths than return to Asgard. I _will_ die.'

'_Or _you could stay here. With me.'

'I would...' Loki lowered his head from Tony's chest away from the uncomfortable warmth of the arc reactor. 'But I know my brother... he hunts for me. Convinced taking me home will make everyone happy, he does not realise they have hated me as long as I have been in their company. Now they have their excuse to do away with me... I am certain the journey back will kill me. I should be dead before the healers have a chance to force me to stay alive. I understand these are my crimes and I am willing to die for them; but I refuse to give them the satisfaction.'

Tony didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to tell him that actually no that was a bad idea because he was almost certainly not actually, physically on the brink of death (at least not yet) and it would devastate his brother beyond comprehension. Or that Loki was better of alive because he was the only person he had ever wanted like this; without any ifs ands or buts abbreviations or hyphens. That he didn't worry around him. That he didn't spend hours worrying about the future and when he would inevitably break his heart.

Really, after all these years Tony should have been better at saying 'I need you.' But he was just as terrified of opening himself up as he had always been. All he had known for so many years was that letting people know those kinds of things only gave them ammunition to hurt you. That was why he had only said 'I love you' to Pepper about twice in two years; in spite of having felt it for the better part of his life.

He ran a hand through Loki's hair and watched as his face scrunched up along the lines he always drew when it came time to battle his emotions. He was less successful than Tony in that respect. But Tony had been an emotional cripple since he was old enough to truly hate himself. He would win that little war with anyone.

'You could always just say you were under the control of the Tessaract for that other stuff.'

'For a hero, you subscribe a lot of lying,' Loki sniffed.

'It's the truth.'

'I wasn't _unwilling.'_

_'_Hmmm.' Tony nodded. A hollowness was swallowing up his insides. 'You killed 80 innocent people. And Coulson. You killed Coulson.' Tony's voice failed him. His eyes stung mercilessly. His throat constricted. He slowly threaded his fingers through a few little loops in Loki's hair. He was releived when Loki didn't turn to him; tears had started falling.

'I did.' Loki said, voice wavering just slightly. '...Who was Coulson?'

'He was... You stuck your scepter through his chest.' Tony couldn't help the animosity framing his words.

'Oh.' Loki sighed, introspectively almost. 'He died?'

'Yes.'

'Oh. I didn't think he would die.'

'Are you serious?' Tony stiffened, anger ever more evident in his voice. 'You stabbed him in the chest.'

'I know.' Loki sat up, very aware that Tony needed space between them. 'I didn't peirce any of his organs. I wasn't aware mortals were quite so fragile.'

'_What_?'

'I recall-'

'Sir, it would appear you have a visitor.' Jarvis interrupted.

'Who the hell...'

The main HUD showed images belonging to an overhead camera just outside Stark Tower. A red-headed woman in a short black trench-coat flashed a card through the security clearance and entered the building.

'Nat...? Shit.' Tony frowned. 'Jarvis, cache and encrypt all audio visual over the last three days. Run a loop over the empty space.'

'Which one.'

'You decide. I trust your judgement.'

'Loki,' Tony turned, expecting to find Loki sitting next to him but was greeted with empty space. He stood. Loki going Mindfreak on his ass was wonderfully convenient for the situation at hand. So many thought swirled and swirled through his mind as he leaned over the workbench waiting for Natasha Romanov to make her inevitable entrance. He was confounded by this newly emergent information. Coulsongate as it were. He remembered staring at the medical and death reports on one of his computers, pouring through every detail, wondering if there was maybe a chance. Just a long shot. _Pierced lungs. Ruptured heart. _Pepper sobbing in his arms at the funeral. Steve solemn and heavy with guilt. Maria looking like a ghost.

__He didn't want to believe Loki. But the alternative was to believe a man whose career was just one lie on top of another. A man whom he'd never trusted and never would, who worked for an organization that thrived on secrecy and back-handedness.

He didn't realise he'd balled his fingers into fists until Natasha walked through the door with one of smaller robots.

'Oh. Nat. Fancy meeting you here,' he sounded stiff and knew it. There was nothing he could do to force himself to relax.

'Tony.' Natasha smiled unconvincingly. She was not happy to be here either and Tony didn't blame her. She had been clearly disapproving of his behaviour in the past few months and didn't much care for him in the first place. Still, being Fury's faithful lackey, she always did as she was told. 'Fury sent me to speak with you about your renewed consultancy with S.H.I.E.L.D.'

'Fantastic.' Tony would have given anything for a good glass of scotch right about now.

'Obviously we can no longer protect or vouch for you if the government comes for the suits anymore. So from now on you are Iron Man at your own risk.'

'Mhhmmm .' Tony nodded and took a sip of cold, ancient coffee from force of habit.

'Your clearance levels have been downgraded from seven to two.'

Tony smiled. As if he didn't already have S.H.I.E.L.D wired. 'Is that it?'

'I'm happy to see you're taking this lightly.' She growled.

Natasha Romanov took this shit too seriously. She wanted so badly to believe working with S.H.I.E.L.D would absolve her of all her sins she was willing to vilify Tony for giving up. Tony didn't share her motivations, he couldn't sympathise.

'More time to have a little fun.'

'_You_-'

A muffled thud fell someplace behind Tony. He didn't have to turn around to see. He already knew. Oh god did he know. The look of horror and confusion on Nat's face and her lightning fast battle-ready stance destroyed any doubt or hope that may have lingered.

'_Nat...' _Tony approached her. She moved faster than he could fathom and had him in a chokehold before he could continue.

'Tony. What the fuck?'

He was now facing the same direction as her and could see what she saw. Loki slumped over himself on the floor, all long limbs and swathes of black hair. He was unmistakable. And immobile.

'_Na-at._..' He struggled to breathe under her bicep. She let him go and he stumbled away from her. She pulled out her gun and pointed at the fallen god.

'Fury.' She called into a communication device. 'I found him.'

* * *

**Oh hai plot. **


	9. Cell

Tony was very upset. And in his opinion he had every right to be. He had been arrested about two hours ago in his workshop for being a villain by proxy. He hadn't even bothered to fight the arrest-what would the point have been? Just a couple of sarcastic comments while he was being handcuffed by hilariously over-enthused agents seemed to suffice. There was absolutely no need to get angry in spite of his pent-up frustration. Now, as always, was the time to think.

He was in a cell no larger than a college dorm room, sitting at the head of a metal table that reached up to his chest, another chair sat at the other end of the was sitting as comfortably as he could manage, being that his arms were handcuffed to a chain attached to the floor, forcing him to permanently bend his body into an unnatural position. So he rested his head against the table, because otherwise it hurt.

He already knew all the necessary specs, having wormed his way into S.H.I.E.L.D's classified blueprints half a year ago. There were hidden cameras each placed a foot apart on the borders of the ceiling. And another just in front and behind him, to prevent any blind spots.

_Think. _

He had a few problems now, staring him in the face. He was incarcerated. That was his primary concern.

And Loki. After he got out he had to seriously think about where he was going with this. With him and the God of Mischief. It didn't seem as perilously complicated as he had thought. It was easy. It certainly _seemed_ easy.

But convincing everyone that Loki was no longer a threat would be the hard part. Or convincing Thor to let Loki stay was the hard part. Either way he had one fuck of a journey staring him in the face. Especially since he figured he had to regain the trust of everyone he needed to convince.

He had his pondering cut short by the sound of the bolts outside his door coming undone. A few seconds later Fury made his appearance and Tony actually had to smile. It wasn't that he hadn't expected Nick to be his interrogator; he had, it was that the situation still struck him as oddly unreal. It was _funny. _

'Nick.' he pre-empted.

'Tony.' Nick took the seat at the other end of the table.

'Fancy meeting you here.'

'You've been lying to us.'

'I feel bad.' He pursed his lips. What was one more lie?

'You've been harboring a wanted criminal.'

'Hadn't noticed.'

_'Tony,' _Nick growled. 'Cut the crap. I don't think you realise the trouble you're in.'

'I understand perfectly well, Nick.' He smiled amiably. Like he was about to give Nick the satisfaction of watching him squirm.

'We retrieved the tower's audio-visual over the past few days.'

'_And?_' He wasn't about to get upset that they'd by-passed his encryptions in under two hours. He'd have to get on a couple of new layers the instant he had the chance. But, there were reasons he went a little easy on hiding the audio-visuals Jarvis recorded, gullible S.H.I.E.L.D operatives was one of them.

'It's a loop, Tony. What are you hiding?'

Tony raised an eyebrow. Not particularly interested in how Nick came to that conclusion, but curious nonetheless.

'I was at the tower, remember that? I don't seem to appear on any of the tapes.'

_Rookie mistake Tony. _

'Impressive.' Tony rolled his eyes.

'What's going on Tony. Why did we find an unconscious villain in the basement of your Tower? Why did you lie to your team-mates?'

'I don't want to disappoint you Nick, but literally _nothing. _I know you don't believe me, but frankly, I don't care.'

'The evidence says otherwise. Don't think we won't keep you here as long as we feel the need.' Nick stood.

'I wouldn't put it past you.'

'Just remember why you're doing whatever it is you've got planned with Loki, and ask yourself if it's worth it.'

Tony didn't have to think about it. _It was. _

* * *

_He would rather have been inside brushing up on his magic, re-reading what needed re-reading and just generally not being dragged around wherever Thor and his friends felt it was necessary to drag him. Sitting on the soft grass, feeling the comfortable cool of a summer breeze lifting the ends of his hair, he could almost forgive his brother's insistence that he come along on all of his casual little training sessions. He only had himself to blame for not making his own friends, so he didn't complain._

_ He was watching Thor and Hogun go at each other and not even _trying _to look interested. _

_He only noticed Fandral when the air beside him shifted. He wasn't going to look up. If there was a spell to stop blushing in its damn tracks he would've happily recited whatever needed reciting. Or one to quell his stupid disobedient heart._

_'Son of Odin,' Fandral said as he sat. Loki didn't have to look at him to know he was grinning like a smarmy bastard. _

_'Fandral.' Loki answered, quick and clipped. _

_'It's a lovely afternoon, isn't it.'_

_'It's fine.' Loki stared down at his hands. Any place at all was safer than Fandral's blue eyes. If he fell in he knew full well he might never escape._

_Hogun fell and Thor shot Loki a triumphant smile. Loki mustered a feeble smile back._

_'It would seem the field has been cleared for new competitors.' Fandral had his hand in Loki's before the young prince could launch any sort of protest. _

Loki shot to consciousness as though he were spring loaded. His body's reflexive attempt to straighten was quickly thwarted by restraints on his wrists that dragged his body downwards. He groaned in pain over the strain this caused his back and arms. And the quickly intensifying headache he felt brewing at the back of his skull conspiratorially escalating his body's discomfort. It was only for a second that he was haunted by his dream; just before he realised where he was.

He spent a few seconds in angry contemplation after realizing the mortals had captured him a second time. And just _knowing _that he couldn't simply phase out of his little cell made him grit his teeth hard. This was _more _than humiliating. Worst of all, he realised, was what he was wearing, what they'd _caught _caught him in. Oh God. Midgardian attire. As much as conjuring his armor took out of him, he knew he had no choice.

He faded out of consciousness once more. And Asgard came into view.

_'Broadsword?' Fandral raised an eyebrow._

_Loki didn't know why he'd chosen it either. Just vague recollections of Odin telling him and Thor that real men could fight anything with a good broadsword._

_'Worried?' Loki smiled slowly. If anyone was worried it was him; excessively. Was he sweating? Why in Odin's name was he sweating._

_'Me?' Fandral laughed. 'You jest, Odinson.'_

_They took up battle stances and drew their weapons. Loki was perhaps a little more worried than he should have been, he was competent enough with the broadsword, in spite of having trained with it only a few times in his youth. Still, he was no match for Fandral on the longsword; his weapon of choice. In fact, he wondered if Fandral had let him last longer than he should have. He didn't have time to contemplate any of this, as Thor appeared beside him and patted his back hard._

_'God job brother,' he beamed. 'Soon we will all be ready for battle.'_

_Loki reflexively rolled his eyes. _

His head was on fire. Loki's eyes flew open and immediatley moistened with the all-engulfing pain of a debilitating headache. He grit his teeth and shut his eyes tight. It felt like his skull was being split open. It was minutes before the ache quelled enough for him to breathe. The headache seemed to have distributed itself to his entire body, and in the process lost intensity. Even with every inch of his body feeling somewhat like his skin was being peeled from the surface of his muscles, it wasn't nearly as bad as the initial onslaught. His entire body was trembling. He found a space somewhere within in the pain to concentrate. Magic was clearly no option with regards to escaping here. Patience was necessary here. And he was better at patience than most.


	10. Audio

It felt like an hour of relentless, excruciating pain. Loki was not to know it was only ten minutes. It was as if fires had been set on the surface of his brain, and spread across his body. Everything seemed compressed down to an absolute pinpoint of ache and laid over his skin and under his limbs. His bones shook. He longed to scream out; verbalise his pain. But he would never give mortals the satisfaction of hearing him suffer. Instead, he escaped inside his mind and waited.

When eventually the pain did subside Loki opened his eyes cautiously. Still in his little grey cell. Still alone.

Stark's plan had worked flawlessly. He had no clue where to begin exactly. Shame? Regret? Hatred? No. There was nothing left in him for all of that. Just a growing hollowness on his chest, and an odd, vague sense of relief. He didn't know what to attribute it to.

Such a fitful conclusion to his downfall; ensnared by a mortal dangling a carrot on a stick. And that _stupid _dream. As if his own mind were conspiring against him when he was at his lowest. He took a deep breath. Death was rather more slow to act than he'd expected.

He heard a noise and his eyes immediately snapped to it's origin. Bolts on a previously unnoticed door unlatched and a loud wail sounded as the metal separated. Loki had mere seconds to compose himself, but he came to disrepair just as quickly sensing his brother. He had such little time to pick a reaction that revealed nothing, and chose petulance because it was easy.

'_Thor,' _The voice of a female mortal rang out. 'You can't just... There are protocols for...' The mortal clearly gave up.

When Thor walked in he filled the cell. He stared at Loki for the longest time, seemingly caught between relief and sadness the depth of which Loki would never get used to seeing on his brother.

'_Brother,' _Thor whispered. His voice was strained; body tense. His arms were awkwardly outstretched, his body apparently still assumed that Loki meant hug. That was no longer true.

'Thor,' Loki hoped he sounded aloof.

'_Loki.' _Thor's body slumped a little. Then he made his way forward and Loki knew exactly what was coming. He tried to duck away but, given his restraints, it was impossible. Thor smothered him. And he was too shocked, for a moment, by the painful familiarity of being smothered against Thor's armor to move. When he did shake away from him, it was also in aid to his recovery. He was fighting the formation of a heavy lump in his throat. '_Brother,' _Thor held Loki by his shoulders and made eye contact, Loki flinched. 'I am taking you with me to Asgard. Do not protest. It is an urgent matter.'

'I am _not _returning with you to Asgard. ' Loki spat venom.

But why the indignance? He was just about sure the trip would kill him, and that was what he wanted. What on Earth could the Aesirs do to him once he was dead? He was ready for the trip; the sooner the better.

Only... well, _Stark. _The mortal needed to know that Loki had been lying the whole time. It had been part of a plan of course. As if a God like him could ever fall in love with a weak, useless mortal. There was an intricate subplot there Stark would never know about, one that would come back to bite him in future. And his parting words would be accompanied with some grievous bodily harm. That would do it. Stark would live to regret the day his beautiful blue eyes ensnared Loki's fragile little heart. And played with it so callously as to shatter it completely.

Maybe _then _he'd be ready to die.

'I am not leaving this realm without you.' Thor frowned deeply. His eyes were tired. His entire body and soul sagged.

'Do you think your pets will allow me to go that easily.'

'They will listen to me brother,' he grimaced gravely. 'They trust me.'

'Do they? Then why did they have Stark lie to you about my presence on Midgard.'

'He did not know it was you, you deceived him.'

'I did no such thing.'

'Loki, I will not listen to your lies for-'

'_I am not lying,' _Loki hissed.

'It does not matter. You are coming with me to Asgard, if they do not allow me I do not care.'

* * *

'I'm not going to repeat myself Tony,' Fury repeated for maybe the sixth time.

'I heard you the first time.'

'Look,' Nick leaned forward. Exasperation clearly showing on the lines of his face. 'I'm being patient with you Tony. Anyone else and we'd have shipped you right through extraordinary rendition to little islands invisible to radar and left you at the hands of guys so skilled in torture, you wouldn't even realise it was torture till you started talking. But you know that, right Stark?'

'I know enough.'

'You also know that I'm obviously trusting you here. I don't believe you've turned. But I can't be sure of anything until you let us view the footage. We can't rule anything out until we know exactly what a wanted villain was doing in your tower for a period of two days. And you need to tell me why you hid the footage. Trust me Tony, if you keep refusing to cooperate this _will _go south. So far south your head will spin. You _and _Loki will get a whole lot more than you bargained for.'

That stopped Tony dead in his tracks. Just realising that Loki could stand to get hurt for this changed everything. Knowing S.H.I.E.L.D, Loki was probably in it far worse than he was. Maybe right _now. _Why had he just assumed they'd keep their civility with him? There was no chance of waiting anymore. He had only one way out now. After that he'd bust Loki out as soon as possible. Hopefully before shit hit the fan.

'Let's make a deal,' Tony exhaled hard. 'You tell me what happened to Coulson, and I'll give you audio.'

Fury raised an eyebrow. 'I could have sworn you had Jarvis hack his files. Audio? You've gotta be kidding.'

'Take it or leave it. Tell me what happened to Coulson.'

Fury ran his palm across his face. 'Coulson _died, _Tony. You were at his funeral remember? You hacked his files. You saw the casket go down.'

'Shit's not lining up, Nick. Why such a hasty funeral? No hospital stay. No bionic option. His file was perfect, Nick. I didn't even think about it, till I _thought _about it. No one fought to save him. No attempted CPR, even though his lungs had apparently been punctured. No trace of oxygen being administered. He just _died. _Of multiple organ fractures. How do you even sustain that kind of damage from a single stab wound.'

Nick leaned back on his chair, folded his arms on his chest and smiled a sort of suspicious little smile. 'His file never mentioned a single stab wound. It mentioned several.'

'I have a source that says otherwise.'

'If that source is known as The God of Lied, I advice you proceed with caution Stark.'

Tony smiled. 'Are you asking me to trust you more than I trust Loki?'

'So you trust Loki.'

'I guess I do.'

'You've never been known for your judgement.'

'Is that what you think? Coulson being alive is not a judgement call. It's logic.'

'If you're so convinced he's alive, why do you need me to tell you.'

'Not just me. All of them.'

'You want to destabilise your team, that's your big plan?'

'I don't have a plan. No clue how many times I have to say that. Do you,' Tony leaned in. 'Have any idea the kind of guilt the team has to deal with, thinking if they'd been faster; more aware, that they might have been there for him? You know how they deal with that? They stay with S.H.I.E.L.D.'

'So you want me to exchange the stability of the Earth's only solid protective force for a fucking audio tape? You think that sounds reasonable?'

'You want to know what happened between me and Loki right? You want to know if there'll be a Chitauri version 2.0.'

'All I have to do is tell the team Coulson's not dead.'

'So you admit he's not dead?'

'It's what you want me to say isn't it?'

'It's the _truth.'_

_'Uh huh. _I get it. Coulson's alive and kicking in the Bahamas somewhere. Do you need your phone?'

'For what?'

'To get Jarvis to retrieve the audio surveillance files. It's not my first time around the block with you Tony, I know the drill. Maria and Natasha will be with me to-'

'Maria yes. Nat, no.'

Fury stood. 'Fine, whatever. That audio better be worth it. Maria will be available to transcribe whatever's on that tape. As soon as we're done I'll arrange a meeting with all of the Avengers.'

And Fury left, the sound of the door bolting automatically behind him echoed in the little cell.

'_Fuck.' _Tony groaned. He dropped his head on the table. He hadn't been this woefully embarrassed since college, and even then it hadn't been this bad.

* * *

**lol tony, dis gunna hurt.**


	11. Stratosphere

**Im so sorry. No, you know what, don't forgive me, I don't deserve it. **

* * *

Tony was sitting at the same table, mere minutes later, facing Mariah Hill and Nick Fury, awaiting the most embarrasing moment of his life to ensue. He couldn't beleive this was happening. He could also scarcely beleive this was the hand he was playing. Still, it was the fastest way out and contained a hidden bonus level he hadn't previously anticipated. When he was handed his pad, Maria connected her computer to it. A computer which, as it turned out was directly linked to the S.H.I.E.L.D mainframe. Because evidently their I.T Department was run by a couple of monkeys and an old shoe.

When Tony first saw the little Error Message warning him that a new network had been detected he could scarcely believe his eyes. He was freaking directly linked to the S.H.I.E.L.D mainframe. Oh he'd been in there before, on more than one occasion, but never not once in his entire S.H.I.E.L.D hacking carreer had he had a direct link to the system. Yes, the price was huge, but part of him couldn't help but feel it was very, very worth it. Jarvis was just about to dig deeper than any computer had ever dug into S.H.I.E.L.D.

'Tony. Any minute now.' Fury grumbled.

'Keep your socks on.' Tony mumbled, typing instructions into his pad. The file came through and Tony held his breath. 'Alright, you asked for this.'

The file began to play.

It took about an hour, even with all the empty tape erased, for them to get to the point where anything happenned, and that was Loki dropping Tony off at the house and having a brief altercation with Jarvis, the A.I. threatening to rat the god out to shield. And Tony mumbling something about turning Jarvis into a toaster if he did any such thing. Tony had been so dead tired then that he was hearing this for the first time. Some hours elapsed and were skipped by the computers. They landed at a sudden, loud Beethoven number, the one Tony had awakened to. And, yes, he remembered the rest.

He looked up at his captors, both staring intently at the screen, which he assumed was occupied with veryfying the audio in real-time. He wondered if all the banal, everyday conversation he and Loki had engaged in was weirding them out in any way. If it wasn't obvious already that the 'alliance' was actually romantic in nature or that Tony 'turning' could be more accuratley described as 'falling' then it would be soon.

Then the call from Fury, and mere seconds later; the conversation.

Tony tasted bitterness between his lips and a lump rising to his throat. Those old emotions rising like bile to his throat as he listened to his own anger and resentmet was played back to him, under the backdrop of Fury's judgemental disapoitment.

Then getting drunk.

And a whole load of other shit he had no idea he had said or _done. _Loki trying to comfort him brought a small smile to his face. And a twinge of affection. Then Loki seemed to slowly give up as Tony delved further into drunkenness.

An hour of listening to drunk Tony go on about this and that and everything inbetween was exhausting, Tony had to assume Nick and Maria were as tired of it as he was, but they were trained S.H.I.E.L.D agents, their expressions gave nothing away. He started to get bored himself, until a tiny notification sprang up on the screen of his pad '100% Complete' and he smiled. Unprecedented access to S.H.I.E.L.D computers. Nice.

But that was that with the good feelings, because he felt with painful certainty that the sex was coming up, just when drunk Tony asked Loki to dance with him. He wanted to hang himself, oh God did he want to hang himself.

A few minutes of rustling and clear heavy breathing later, it became duly obvious that there was some heavy petting going on in that audio file. When Tony dared look up his face was on fire. He looked like a fucking beetroot. Maria met his gaze unwaveringly. Nick might have been good at being a judgemental dick, but Mariah was going for gold. He held her stare till she rolled he eyes and looked back at the screen. Nick had an eyebrow raised all the way to the damn ceiling.

Loki moaned his name, and inspite of himself Tony felt his pants tighten a little.

But then Drunk Tony said something about a condom and real Tony died a little inside. He held his breath for the umpteenth time.

The whole embarrasing episode went on following a course of humiliation Tony could feel tangling up his stomach. His head was on the table now. It was just so fucking heavy.

Then there was sleep. And the next day. Some stuff with Loki and Jarvis. It was cute stuff, but Tony had a hard time thinking anything that wasn't an expletive with regards to the situation at hand. Maria and Nick had litterally just listened to him and Loki have sex. It was so far beyond an invasion of privacy it was hilarious.

And other stuff. Cute, couple stuff. Tony smiled. He liked it. He liked Loki.

Then more kissing as far as Tony remembered. And then... Tony shot up.

'Can we stop?' He asked hoarsely.

'What?' Fury raised an eyebrow, like he loved to do.

'I'm thirsty,' Tony lied. 'Geneva convention and all.'

'Really Stark. That's weak, especially for you.' Nick grimaced.

'I... Nick...' Tony did not want to be honest with Nick. It was not something he did. Oh God. Oh fucking Christ. 'Just stop the file.'

'If you're hiding something-'

'I let you listen to me _fuck _him! What in the name of God could I still be hiding?'

Tony didn't want them to hear Loki cry. It was wrong. It was so very, very wrong. Loki talking about his upbringing on Asgard, his relationship with Thor, the things he loved and hated. The dreams he'd always had. The way he'd betrayed Thor, then his people, then his biological father. His fear of being a monster. All that. It was not meant for anyone but Tony. It was a secret.

'_Tony, _you need to tell us what's going on.' Nick persisted.

'I'm inlove with him! That's what's going on! Are you happy now?'

Tony's breathing was hard and heavy. He only heard his words after he'd said them. He hadn't admitted before that he was inlove. But he had now. To Nick Fury of all people.

'Please, just don't fucking listen to it.' Tony sounded as defeated as he felt. 'Its... private.'

Nick stopped for a moment and stared at Tony long and hard. 'Tony, I'm obligated to play this tape. To strike you from suspicion.'

And he went on. He played the damn thing.

Tony was seething. Halfway through Nick seemed to get a call on his earpiece. And he hastened from his seat.

'Don't move.' He grumbled at Tony. 'Mariah, there's a situation.'

Mariah typed away on the computer before getting up and leveling Tony with a silent glare, Tony returned it. He didn't care, he just didn't fucking care anymore.

* * *

Loki hadn't known what to expect from his older brother. He hadn't know that the Aesir genuinely meant to take him with or without the consent of his mortal friends. A few hastened, desperate pleas by the mortals was the best they could do before Thor reached around his brother's waist and called for Odin. The chains around Loki's arms broke as he was lifted above the floor. Mjolnir broke through several thick ceilings before they were in the sky. Loki struggled against his brother's hold. It was useless.

'Brother, _please.' _He shouted.

'This is for you, Loki. I do not wish to see you come to harm. They will cure your sickness in Asgard.'

'Do not take me to Asgard.' Loki shouted, anger rising steadily. 'You do not understand.'

'There is much that I do not understand brother. I do not understand why you have come to so much madness, and I do not understand why you hate mortals so that you wish to see them come to so much harm. But I do understand that you are sick. This sickness of the snake creates madness inside you. The healers will cure you of your ailment.'

'There is no cure.' Loki shouted, enraged. He was shaking.

They could see the dark of the sheet that separated Earth from the other realms. The releif of cold swept through Loki's skin, though it did nothing to soothe his venomous rage.

'_Brother-!'_

_''_No! Unhand me Thor! Now!.' Something was growing inside him. Something strange and dangerous. It was getting colder. Outside and inside of him.

'Brother do not make-!'

_'Aaaarrrgh!'_ And with some great unbecoming power Loki twisted away from his brother. Thor and mjolnir slowed their ascent into the blackness that cloaked the Earth. Thor was staring. Looking for his brother. But everywhere around him was nothing. No sign at all of Loki. He felt a cold fist swell up inside him and his eyes lined with tears. The sickness was growing inside his brother. With great power came a great madness.

* * *

Tony had his head on the table when Nick returned. Not necesarily angry anymore, just seething. Utterly beyond himself.

'Guess what Romeo,' Nick smirked when Tony looked at him. 'Your brother in-law's sprung your boyfriend.'

Tony could've punched him. But then he realised what he was saying.

'Radar says they've left the atmosphere.' Nick continued.

'What...?' Not that Tony hadn't heard what Nick had said. Just that he remebered what Loki had said about the trip back to Asgard. He had no time to hope that that was just another one of the god's little lies. A tight coldness gripped his throat.

* * *

**ahahaha. two monkeys and an old shoe. Louis C.K better watch your back... because im hilarious. **


	12. Pursuer

**Look, I'm being regular! Must be this fabulous new yoghurt**

* * *

Tony was tired. No not tired. He was fucking exhausted. He felt as if he hadn't had a moment's rest these past few days. Today in particular had been a veritable smorgasbord of whatthefuckery that even his experienced heart had been wary of handling. It was still racing at 180 miles an hour and the sky was dulling to twilight on the HUD displaying CCTV footage just outside the top floor of the tower.

Tony Stark was in a fixed state of panic, worry and frustration.

Just hours ago Thor had re-appeared without his little brother, bearing news that the God of Lies was missing. Nick had been nice enough to allow Tony into the room with the rest of the Avengers as this brand new crisis blossomed, and a few pointed looks from the S.H.I.E.L.D director had all but sufficed in the whole judgement quota Nick was so fond of. Steve made some kind of speech like he was king all of a sudden and everyone had let him, because basically Steve was the only one who wasn't suddenly in a bowl of deep shit. Natasha had her problems now and a worried glance at Clint from the corner of her eye exposed her usually well shielded priorities. Clint, for his part had his lips sewn into a thin, intense frown. And Thor looked like the world had just crumbled underneath him.

Natasha had flashed Tony a look of bloody murder when their eyes met, and Tony had swiftly added her to his dossier of problems.

And then Tony had been handed another S.H.I.E.L.D shaped problem in the form of some intern given the duty of watching him for the next few hours while surveillance was set up at the tower. Because Tony was apparently still under suspicion. Even after all that. But honestly he'd been too tired to argue.

And then they'd taken him home. And there he'd sat for two hours too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice the hovering intern or Big Brother setting up in his home.

And now it was dusk.

Tony stood up. What were Thor's exact words 'He vanished. I have known him to do that, but this time it was different. I could not feel him anywhere. I do not even know if he is in this realm or another.'

There was no working this one out with a few well placed commands to Jarvis and some flying around in his suit. If Thor had no idea where Loki was with the magic of great big Odin at his fingertips, there was no way he would. So Tony sighed malcontentedly and started pacing his workshop, not deigning to acknowledge the intern, who, for his part, was at least keeping his excitement about this big new assignment at least partially hidden.

If there was anything he could've done to keep himself occupied, rifling through S.H.I.E.L.D's dirty linen was certainly right there on top of the list, but even his computers were being bugged. Tony would have to have a brand new one delivered and just hope S.H.I.E.L.D don't notice, or else get into one of the suits and try not to look suspicious. Regardless, the best he could do now on his multi-million dollar computer set ups with their nano-second processing power and terabytes of disk space was play Angry Birds and hope for an early evening. He just knew that whatever he did he couldn't reach for the alcohol. If Loki showed up again, he didn't want it to be something he'd forget.

After a couple of hours, at roughly eight o'clock Tony finally gave in to his incessant yawning and made his way to one of the bedrooms. The intern followed.

'_Really_, dude?' Tony frowned as the intern walked into the bedroom with him.

'I was told to follow you while the other agents set up surveillance,'

Tony could abide by nameless, faceless S.H.I.E.L.D agents walking around the tower and touching his shit because frankly that wasn't what he cared about right now, but some line surely had to be drawn if some kid was prepared to walk into his damn bedroom when he wanted to get ready for bed. This was so far beyond violating his personal space he was starting to feel more than just a little annoyed.

'You want I do you a strip tease before settle down or something,' Tony growled. He took his shirt off.

'Sorry sir. I'm just following orders.'

Tony rolled his eyes. Fucking soldiers. He unbuttoned his jeans and collapsed on the bed, fully aware that someone was watching him sleep, but too fucking tired to care. Although, it seemed like forever till his eyes slowly fell shut, and he swam into a dream.

Though, the lull of sleepy calm did not last long once he had gone completely unconscious.

He was being chased. And he started running. It wasn't clear at first, everything was two shades of black and Tony only fled from whatever mechanically. But the world before him evened out eventually. And it was nothing but a road, an endless winding road stretching before him into eternity. His feet thumped the ground as efficiently as he could manage. But it was not enough, he felt like he was running through molasses. His pursuer was closing in on him, a thick black vastness gaining on him with every inch. He was running in panic now. He knew it was only a matter of time before it was over, before he was swallowed; taken by whatever shapeless monster it was that had chosen him for a victim. He had no choice but to keep running.

But he was nearing his limit. The molasses thickening by multitudes around his legs. Tangling him up the harder and harder he tried. He was staring down the face of hopelessness. He could feel it. The uncomfortable warm gathering around him like a cloud of heavy, hot air. Fog rose in his chest. Darkness closed in. Oh god. It was ending.

Then something yanked him.

And he was fell at the side of the road locked in a vice grip. Forgetting all of his training, he just started flailing and kicking, trying his damnedest to get away. The grip only tightened. And Tony started to panic, he could feel the pressure in his lungs and ribcage. Breathing was next to impossible.

'_Stark_.' Commanded a voice he should've been happy to hear, but was too busy fighting for breath to even acknowledge.

The grip finally loosed and Tony had a coughing fit as his lungs lapped greedily at all the incoming air. It took him a moment to calm down, still with a clamp around his chest, his back against a chest that may well have been made of bricks. But he was calmer now, having acknowledged that this was Loki scaring the everloving shit out of him for no good reason.

'What... What-the-fu-uck.' Tony gasped.

Loki let go of him and, even though they were both sitting on solid ground amid dry grass, Tony tumbled forward, landing on his back, from which position he could just make out Loki's face in the dark.

'What-are-you... Whatareyoudoinghere S.H.I.E.L.D's got cameras everywhere-'

'I'm in your dream you fool.' Loki growled. And it took a moment for Tony to process what he'd said.

'My dream?'

'Yes. It was not magic I knew I possessed, but here. I'm not so stupid as to appear in your tower after that... mistake.' Tony couldn't see the darkening of Loki's expression till he was all but talking through gritted teeth.

'Mistake?' Tony asked cautiously. Of all the things he hadn't expected this to be about, Loki regretting their bump and grind was certainly up there. 'It wasn't that bad was it...'

For a moment Loki paused in confusion, then he realised what Tony was saying the mortal was _trivialising his betrayal. _It was a pail of salt in a vast, open wound and Loki could not abide by it.

'How _dare_ you..' Loki could feel his thoughts becoming one incoherent ball of rage. Growing and growing, feeding on this moment, on many more besides. And Tony Stark's stupidly beautiful dark eyes.

'Loki, I don't-' Tony's eyes pleaded with him. And Loki could've seen it some other time. Wavered and broken with hope and had his anger dissolve into little faith that he might have been wrong. But not now.

'You _think _you're so _clever_.' Loki growled crouching above the mortal. It was crawling up his veins and out through the venom that fell from his lips, feeding on him. Feeding on the shards of his broken self. He was furious.

'Lo-'

The God of Lies gripped his long fingers around Tony's throat, cutting off his breathing.

'You think you can _deceive_ me? You-' And he stared into Tony's eyes watching the panic grow with his rapidly enlarging pupils. 'You stupid-'

No. Loki was the stupid one. So ready, _desperate_ to believe that someone would chose him when really they had their pick of anyone. How could it have been anything more than a trick. One he'd fallen for without a second's examination. He'd just let himself _fall_. You'd think the so called God of Lies could spot bullshit from miles away, but no. For all his otherwise insistence, Loki was just really, really stupid.

'You- you think you can-' No. Words were useless. His face was hot. Streaming with tears. Tony's was turning blue. Loki knew he only had to tighten his grip a little more before the mortals neck snapped in soup of blood and bone and flesh inside his throat. And he would be dead. And all his problems would be solved. And he wouldn't even have to worry about precious brown eyes, or the pace of his heart, or even kisses at windows facing the Manhattan sky line.

But then Loki let him go. And he didn't know why. There was no rage in him anymore. Not even an ounce of anger. It had all dissipated with what felt like the stroke of a wrist.

'Gaaaaghhh...!' Tony gasped, feeling his lungs fill up with air for the second time in as many minutes.

'I should kill you.' Loki growled, but his voice was faltering. It was regret that was filling him up quick, like a flooding cup. He didn't even really know what he felt anymore. But he was crying, which honestly meant next to nothing because he was almost always crying. Especially these days.

'Loki...' Tony's breathing was returning to normal, but he was still skittering away from his would be murderer. Even if it was only a few inches between them, Tony felt it was adequate enough to protect him. He was scared, but feeling rather like that fear was misplaced. He had never been afraid of Loki, even when he had been falling at 85 miles an hour with shards of glass descending around him like flakes of snow.

'I do not know if it would kill you in physicality, but I'm fairly certain I could do some damage,' Loki continued. His voice had fallen to a strange, complacent monotone. 'I should kill you.'

'I didn't lie to you,' Tony frowned deeply. Loki stared at him with eyes like dinner plates. There was quiet shock in there. Tony's audacity struck him like a baseball bat, he could scarcely believe it.

'_Really_?' Loki sneered quietly. There was no strength behind his contempt anymore. 'So I suppose landing in a cell surrounded by mortals was all my merry doing?'

'You were unconscious you _idiot_.' Tony was frustrated. It had been a long fucking day. 'You pushed yourself or something and then you just went unconscious and Natasha saw you. I was arrested too, you know.'

'I don't believe you.' Loki kept a straight face.

'Oh. Wow. So shocked over here.' Tony frowned. 'You don't have to believe me, but could you please not lose your fucking mind for just five seconds.'

Loki gave Tony a long quiet look. And Tony sighed.

'This is stupid.' Loki murmured. 'I should kill you and have it over with. You and my brother are the only problems I have now.'

'So you're gonna kill the two people who love you most?' Tony mumbled. It was only a second later that he realised what he'd said. And there was a long, slow stillness in the air. The two of them fell on opposite sides of the emotion spectrum.

'You are very practiced at this sort of thing, aren't you?' Loki sounded quiet and far-away. Utterly disbelieving.

'Really? That's what you got from that?' Tony stood, knowing perfectly well he had nowhere to go. Uncertainty at having said what he felt out-loud and with glaring honesty was suddenly replaced by defiance. 'Yes, I love you. You want me to hire a sky writer or something? I got myself fired from the Avengers didn't I? Natasha would kill me if they gave her five seconds, Maria thinks I'm the scum of the Earth, Pepper left me because I spent our anniversary with you, S.H.I.E.L.D's got my sex tape on it's database and oh yeah, I don't have an inch of privacy left. Do you want me to walk right into the fucking sun first, before you decide to let one fucking person love you?'

There. Tony had said it, and it was sitting between them. Loki was staring up at him, from where he sa. Not a single change had taken place in his expression. Tony was getting techy.

'Oh come on!' he threw his hands up. 'What do you fucking want from me?'

Loki shifted uncertainly, before standing. He closed the inches between them.

'I don't know,' Loki answered.

'Well... Okay,' Tony answered, suddenly feeling awkward about the lack of personal space.

'I don't think I want anything.'

'_Really,' _Tony wrapped his arms around Loki's waist. This was more his speed. 'Have you even thought of what I could give you. Whatever you want. Whatever you really really want. So tell me what you want, what you really really want.' Tony grinned. Loki had no way of understanding that reference and gave him a lopsided smile.

'I don't want anything.' The god repeated. And leaned in.

The dream ended with a kiss.

* * *

**woohoo**


	13. Decaf

**I know right... another one. I'm as confused as you are. By the way I've been getting to school at 7 to write these on the lab computers as my laptop is forever gone, so forgive the spelling and grammar mistakes. **

* * *

'Tony, wake up,' Rhodey's voice sunk into Tony's sleep like one of those cartoon scents and guided him, floating, to the waking world. And waking up would have been wholly pleasant if not for the harsh, throbbing pain in his throat. And the cold in his body.

He shivered. 'What...What time is it.'

'It's one in the afternoon.' Rhodey answered, sitting at the edge of Tony's bed.

He dragged his heavy duvet over his head. 'What's with the weather in this room,' he frowned.

Rhodey raised his eyebrows. 'You okay?'

'Freezing.'

'You sick?'

'No.'

'Sit up, lemme take a look at you.'

Tony shuffled around under his duvet, before finally deciding to get up. 'I'm not sick,' he repeated.

Rhodey stared for a moment, taken aback. 'What happened to your neck?' he mumbled.

An ugly blue/red blur of a bruise made a thick ring around Tony's neck. Rhodey could vaguely see a hand mark in there.

'Nothing. Why, what-' And his dream came flooding back in a rush of darkness and cold and Loki's eyes. 'Oh. Wait. It was in a dream.'

'A dream?' Rhodey looked incredulous, to say the least. Some super-villain fighting gone bad or even weird sex games maybe, but a dream? Really?

'_Yes, _a dream. I had a dream where I was strangled and hey presto.'

'Tony you don't expect me to believe that do you?'

'No, but it's what happened.'

Rhodey sighed in defeat, there was nothing to do but let the matter rest. 'Anyway,' he intoned. 'Aren't you wondering why I'm here?'

'You're a creeping creeper with a thing for sleeping billionaires?' Tony snuggled back under the covers.

Rhodey rolled his eyes, but paused a moment after, aware of the weight of the words to follow. 'Nick Fury asked me here.'

Tony's body went rigid beneath the covers. There was no reply from him, so Rhodey went on. 'He's worried about you Tony. And I've only been here a few hours and I'm starting to feel like he has a point.'

'There's nothing wrong with me.' Tony replied gruffly, deciding to sidestep the whole 'Nick is worried,' shtick, even though it was amply obvious the correct word was 'suspicious'.

'Come on, Tony. Jarvis tells me you and Pep broke up, is that true.'

Tony sat up, curious. ' Jarvis told you that?'

'You programmed him to learn, remember? He's bound to know what breaking up looks like by now, considering your rep.'

'I'm starting to think I've invented Skynet.'

'I wouldn't put it past you.' Rhodey grinned sympathetically. 'Come on, let's talk about it.'

'There's nothing to talk about.'

'Isn't there? She was the love of your life Tony. Remember that? Remember how you couldn't shut up about the two of you? Relationships like that don't just _end_.'

'They do if you're me.' Tony hated the self-pity in his voice, but there it was. There was no erasing it. 'Besides, I've moved on, she's moved on. We've both grown up since... Wednesday.'

'Monday. So she just left. That's it.'

'Rhodey, if there were more to it than that I'm pretty sure I would've written a post about it on my MySpace blog along with a sad kitten emoticon.'

'Tony. I've known you too long to just accept that you're okay with this. Anyway, MySpace is so five minutes ago.'

Tony laughed. With Rhodey away so often and Bruce gone God knows where, sometimes he forgot that he had a friend who was willing to just sit there and listen. A friend who knew him better than maybe he knew himself. But he wasn't about to spew his guts with all of S.H.I.E.L.D listening in like a bunch of giggly school kids at a sleepover.

'Fine, but if we're going to talk about it, it's gonna be over coffee someplace overpriced and too ridiculously bourgeoisie.'

'Starbucks it is.'

* * *

Loki was alone in his apartment, staring at the sanitary white walls. He'd been thinking for more than an hour, sinking deeper and deeper into himself, till he forgot all together where he was. He was wondering about the form of things. The realities that were taking shape ahead of him. Stretching and changing into little comprehensible routes through an otherwise impenetrable fog. His mind was clearing, clearing beautifully in fact. So many minute notions just falling into place, becoming real. So simple. So heartbreaking simple he could wander across the coming war with his eyes shut tight.

He wasn't the rightful king of Asgard for nothing.

* * *

'You're kidding, right.' Rhodey hadn't even touched his stupid coffee. It was his insistence that they talk about every little thing that'd happened since he left half a year ago, as if his own sanity depended on it. And it was taking _forever. _How long had they been here? An hour?

Tony glanced at his watch. Twenty _minutes_?! 'Not even a little.'

'Hmmm...' Rhodey sighed thoughtfully. 'That was in January. It was around the time that tabloid came out, about you and that actress. Anne Fallowe?'

'I wouldn't have pegged you as a National Enquirer kind of guy.'

'We have internet on the base, a lieutenant showed me. You had a lot of fun this year.'

'A whole _fruit basket_ of fun,' Tony grumbled.

'Was that why Pepper left? Because you cheated?' Good old Rhodey. Right to the point.

'Anne's just a friend or something.'

'So who did you cheat with.' Rhodey held Tony's gaze. He could always cut right through Tony's bullshit left right and center.

'I don't really... Well- A lot of girls. I guess.' God, saying it out loud he felt like such a scumbag. He glanced down at his coffee, he'd asked for a decaf and gotten a grande mocha chocolata fucking yaya and almost gotten into a screaming match with the server over why they didn't just call it a large decaf. He'd genuinely forgotten that he hated this place.

'So that's it. You cheated on her with a million girls.'

'Yup.' Tony looked up at Rhodey, hoping he betrayed zero emotion.

'You humiliated her.'

'Is that your rank in the army then? Captain Obvious?' Tony's angry humor was more than obvious to his best friend. He got like this every time he fucked up, whenever he was angry with himself.

'Clever.' Rhodey deadpanned. 'And you did this all in the name of self-destruction, right? So you could were your badge of honor for a few more years.'

'I fucked up with Pepper, I know, but something happenned that... sort of changed everything. Breaking up with her isn't the reason Nick sent you here. You can't be that naive.'

'Then enlighten me Tony, what is it?'

'If that was it we wouldn't have been tailed by four cars 'cause I might be in danger of listening to some Joni Mitchell and getting wrecked off my ass on vodka?'

'I'm listening.'

'... Can you give me a minute.'

'Take all the time you need.' Rhodey leaned back and finally took a sip of his long neglected coffee.

'Well. Well... It sort of has to do with why I Pep and I broke up.'

'Just rip the bandage off.'

'I... I may have fallen in love with someone... Someone on S.H.I.E.L.D's most wanted.'

Rhodey sat up and stared at his friend. 'You did what?'

'In my defence he looks stellar in a dress.'

'_He_? You're not funny.'

'I'm not being funny.'

'You're certainly not being serious.'

'Is that really the least believable part of this? The fact that I like a guy super-villain.'

'You're well-known for your lack of judgement, you know. Not your bisexuality.'

Tony shifted in his seat. Bisexuality. Well that was probably it, but he hadn't thought of it out loud yet. Too busy having a fucked up week. 'It's 2012 Rhodey.'

'Uh huh.' Rhodey stared at his friend. 'And that was when? A couple of months ago?'

'Last Friday.' Okay it was more than ridiculous out loud.

Rhodey knitted his brows. 'Last Friday? _Tony_...?'

'Spare me the lecture. Okay? I don't know what to say without making it sound like I'm delusional but... he... he likes me too. I can tell. And it's high risk obviously, we've both already been imprisoned and last night he tried to kill me while I was asleep-'

'So _that's_ what that is?' Rhodey was usually well trained at hiding his shock, but his eyes were as wide as dinner plates and his forehead had more lines than a wrinkled t-shirt.

'I guess so,'

'So you're a masochist now too?'

'No. It was a misunderstanding.' Tony's nonchalance unnerved his friend.

'_Tony_... Tony I never should have left. I'm putting in a Leave of Absence with my commander and I am moving in.'

'I already _have _a babysitter, I don't need-'

'Shut up. I'm not going anywhere.'

* * *

Loki stood, senses at an absolute apex. He felt amazing, better than he had in an extraordinarily long time. And it wasn't just physical, it was was no doubt in him, no questioning, no hesitation. He knew what to do, clear as day.

A few alliances here and there, some traps and a couple of good old lies and everything would be right as rain.

Yes.

This whole mess, from father's ridiculous insistence that Thor would make a decent king, right down to that nagging Thanos problem. And well, Stark wasn't even a problem at all anymore.

Loki's fingers tingled with a pleasant coldness, and he glanced down. Little icicles had formed on his fingertips, and hung like little crystalline chandeliers. He frowned slightly and spread out his fingers; the icicles fell to the floor, intact, but new ones took their place. And they grew. Loki grimaced and shook his hand to fling them off. A few fell to the ground and another hit the window with a tiny, high-pitched ding. A crackling noise followed. And Loki turned just in time to watch the 8 by 8 foot window that covered an entire wall of his apartment shatter into millions of tiny shards.

And he smiled pleasantly at the hole where his window used to be. This was working out quite nicely.

* * *

**So I'm moving a little bit forward and litterally just noticed that Bruce isn't mention even once in this. Someone cut up my membership card to the Mark Ruffallo fanclub. I don't fucking deserve it. Also, I binged on dialogue in that one :/**


End file.
